


Queen of Water

by autumnstwilight (sewohayami)



Series: Queen of Light [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Background Character Death, Bisexual!Mipha, Bisexual!Zelda, Champions survive, Child!Sidon, F/F, F/M, Other, Polyamory, no promises about anyone else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-03-05 04:49:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 55,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13380522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sewohayami/pseuds/autumnstwilight
Summary: Sequel to Queen of Light. Link, Mipha and Zelda are married following their brush with the Calamity, each carrying a shard of the Triforce, and Hyrule is slowly recovering. Arriving at Zora's Domain for their honeymoon and Mipha's homecoming, the peace they enjoy is soon to be interrupted...Updates once a week on weekends, with occasional mid-week interludes. Reading the previous work is not strictly necessary.This work is complete as of May 22nd 2018.  Final part of the trilogy will beginin late Juneat some point under the title "Queen of Shadow".





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Update June 29th 2018:  
> Yeah, so my plan to post the sequel for this in June is not happening. I'm both disappointed and guilty over this, but unfortunately work and physical health and mental health have to come first and all of those have got in the way of writing over the past month.
> 
> Honestly, I have a lot of guilt and stress attached to this story now, so I think I'm going to try and write some one-shots for a while until writing feels fun again. I apologize for the wait. Thanks for understanding.
> 
> \---
> 
> Okay, so here we go.
> 
> If there are any new readers here, welcome. This is a sequel, however, I think there are only three things from the first half you really need to know going into this:  
> 1\. Link/Zelda/Mipha are married in a polyamorous triad (of the everyone is mutually in love kind).  
> 2\. Link, Zelda and Mipha gained the Triforces of Courage, Wisdom and Power respectively during the battle with Ganon at Hyrule Castle.  
> 3\. Revali is currently in hiding because some of his flight feathers were severed during the battle, which prevents him from flying and is a mark of shame among the Rito equivalent to being imprisoned.
> 
> People who read the first one, welcome back! (and I know I said I'd post that wedding night interquel but... yeah... it hasn't happened yet). More fluff/romance focused readers may want to know that this fic is going to be darker than the previous one, starting around Ch.3.

The carriage wound its way through the mountains, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves on the smooth, blue stone on the bridge echoing off the cliffs. There was the rush of water below them and the cries of birds above. Zelda slept on Link’s shoulder, having been rocked to sleep by the movement of the carriage. Link gazed out the window in silence, taking in the first glimpses of his one-time childhood home.

On the other side of the carriage, Mipha stretched her legs and rolled her ankles. Travelling like this had been relaxing at first, but now she was beginning to crave the rush of the water around her, longing to kick against the current and stretch her legs. Compared to simply swimming upstream, the road was a lengthy journey.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked Link.

The light on his face was beginning to turn orange as the sun set. He turned to her and gave a sleepy smile.

"Just about that time you threw Sidon off this bridge."

She sputtered in (mostly) feigned indignation.

"I’ll have you know I did  _ not _ throw him, Link. I was practicing my spear forms, and he grabbed my weapon from behind-"

"And then you threw him off the bridge."

"It was unintentional!" she insisted. "And there was no need for you to jump in after him either. He’d been making that dive since he’d barely cracked the eggshell."

"Well, wouldn’t that have been nice to know beforehand," he muttered dryly, turning back toward the window. But the memory had brought a smile to Mipha’s face, the unflinching bravery that the young Hylian boy had shown in jumping over the railing into the racing river, only to find the Zora child swimming like a fish. She had escorted him back to the domain as night set in and he began to shiver in his wet clothing, sullen from embarrassment at having overreacted. He had sat shirtless in front of the fire, wordlessly chewing on a plate of stewed fish and vegetables. He had been so skinny then, all awkward limbs and bedraggled hair, and she had wondered into which plane of existence all that food even went. 

Then he had left, and returned the following summer nearly two inches taller, definitely musclier, and with a rather distressing collection of scratches, bruises and scars mottling his arms and chest. He had insisted it was no bother to him at all, until she poked him in a marbled greenish bruise over his lower ribs and the blood had drained from his face. After that, he had grudgingly allowed her to use her healing powers, as long as she left the “cool scars”, and she had sworn never to let him out of her sight again.

The following year, she had been the sole Zora to attend the Royal Guard’s cadet training, on the basis of her exceptional spearmanship. She was somewhat known there for her use of a wooden staff, foregoing live or even blunted metal weapons, and still knocking the breath out of and the legs from under any Hylian boy who took her less than seriously. The fact that she was Zora royalty had been withheld from all but the instructors, and her fellow students had seen little reason to go easy on her or Link at first. Some of them had even taken Link’s quiet confidence and determination as a provocation, and immediately resented the stranger he had apparently brought into their midst. Yet eventually, as she passed the months training all day and healing bruises and scrapes into the night, she had earned their respect.

Truth be told, there had been little new that the Hylians could teach her about combat, but her healing powers had blossomed, welling up inside her quickly and more easily, taking longer to be exhausted. And as she watched the flaxen-haired knight in training sleeping like the dead on his straw mat, as she took his bloodied hands in hers and soothed the blisters, she was grateful for it.

_ I will always be here to heal you _ , she thought.

In the end, she had played her role a little too well. The Divine Beasts were excavated, and it was announced that a member of each race would be required to pilot one. She had found herself as the obvious candidate, and her promises died on her lips as she returned to life in the Domain to learn how to master Vah Ruta. 

Princess Zelda had come to officially bestow her new role upon her, and brought the news that Link had been chosen by the sword, as he had hoped. Mipha was filled with both joy and terror for him. He had soon come to visit, now accompanying the Hylian princess. At the time, her childish side had taken over, and though she was polite to the princess’s face, she had made a point of whisking Link off to see Vah Ruta, alone. There, she had pressed him for a promise to return to her after everything was over. And Link, sweet, clueless Link, seemed to have missed the implications all together. She was glad of it now, and deeply embarrassed by her attempt to keep him to herself. Everything had worked out far better than she could have possibly imagined.

She looked at Zelda’s face, as the queen stirred in her sleep, marvelling that she had ever considered the young lady a threat. Now the sight of her awoke the same protectiveness that she felt towards Link. Neither of them would come to harm, so long as she was with them. She swore it on the river and the ocean and the skies that brought the rains.

The carriage swayed and creaked as it made its way upward, and finally the arches of luminous stone came into view over the crest of the mountain. There was a louder than usual thud as a wheel passed over a stone, and the queen awoke.

“Oh…” she murmured as she looked out the window, getting her bearings.

“It’s lovely, isn’t it? I always wished I could spend more time here, but there were only so many days I could persuade my father that we needed to spend supervising Vah Ruta and maintaining our relationships with the Zora. I suppose I envied the two of you for being able to call it home.”

She sighed, and then looked out the window again.

“It really is a lovely place.”

“Would you like to stay here?” Link asked.

“Oh. Oh, I don’t think we could… there is so much in Castle Town that needs to be watched over, particularly now… But we could have a summer home here! I bet it’s nice and cool in the heat…”

She looked across at Mipha.

“Is that okay? I don’t want to force you to stay in Castle Town, but the idea of being apart is… What do you think?”

Mipha smiled, “If I swim, the journey is not so long. I will not be homesick, and we will not have to spend more than a few days apart at a time. But yes, the waters are marvellous in the summer. For this visit I believe I can arrange accommodations for us near the palace… a place to call our own.”

“Make sure the entrance is above water,” commented Link.

Mipha shook her fins in an irritated gesture. She had invited him, as a child, into extravagant rooms usually only open to Zora nobility, however it seemed that, to a Hylian, the long, dark and claustrophobic swim had outweighed any enjoyment of the luxury within.

“As if I would forget! We have buildings custom-made for visiting Hylian nobility, they belong to the royal family so it should be no issue acquiring one. Naturally, they are all accessible on foot. I have one in mind where the bath is fed by a natural hot spring.”

The shining spires of the Domain had just begun to come into view, and a light drizzle was falling. They had passed a few adventurous Zora fishing in the river downstream already, and a group of children playing.

“I could use that now,” said Zelda, “A certain amount of time in a carriage tends to make the legs ache, to say nothing of the backside.”

“Would you prefer to sit on my lap, your highness?” Link grinned, and was promptly swatted with a cushion.

“Not what you said last night,” he muttered sourly, and before there could be any retort, the carriage lurched to a stop. Link’s eyes immediately narrowed.

"This isn’t…" Mipha began, but Link had already thrown open the doors and leapt from the carriage. She followed, leaping over the step and landing softly, fingertips touching the ground as she steadied herself. She turned and with a yelp, caught Zelda, who had stumbled on the foothold.

"Oof. Sorry. My legs are asleep. Ow."

She saw Link ahead of them, sword already drawn in a fighting stance, and just in front of him, a patch of sky blue. Ruto! The child, named for the ancient sage but of no relation, was immediately recognisable. And then the reddish brown shape, that she now knew was a Lynel, reared.

Link’s elbow caught Ruto, pushing her aside, as his blade struck two falling arrows from the air. His scream ripped through Mipha as his body writhed from the electric shock. The sound was joined by an unearthly shriek from the Zora child as the final arrow grazed her fin and sent rippling lightning through her body. Sprawled on the ground, the child gasped in agony. Link was on his knees.

A golden light rippled in front of him, a barrier made from Hylia’s power. Zelda stood with one arm outstretched, deep concentration on her face. And yet, the Lynel pushed forward, as though the barrier was not an impenetrable wall but something slowing like deep mud. It seemed the Goddess’ power was fine tuned for fighting Ganon, and monsters outside his influence were not so vulnerable to it.

She awoke her own power then, the healing warmth seeking out a path from raindrop to raindrop, until it reached the lightning-singed knight before them. He rose to his feet as the Lynel bared down on him, and rolled to the side. The air seemed to shimmer around him, and he moved impossibly fast, driving strike after strike into the Lynel’s flank and belly. Its guts spilled, and the horse-like part of its body sank to the ground. The torso whipped around with a roar, its blade carving a horizontal arc, the barest hair’s breadth from the hero’s chest as he threw himself backwards. He pushed off the ground again and charged forward, driving the Master Sword into the Lynel’s chest up to the hilt. The sound the creature made, a reverberation of pure rage that could barely be described as a roar, shook the canyon. And then it slid to the ground, dead.

Link placed a boot unceremoniously on its chest as he pulled his blade out, with a quiet grunt of effort. He seemed to be surveying the mess of blood and gore on the grass with something like dismay. He swung the sword, flicking a trail of blood spatters across the ground, but it was hardly necessary. The blood remaining on the Master Sword sizzled and vanished on its own.

Zelda was already cradling the Zora child, who had lapsed into unconsciousness. "Mipha!" she called.

Mipha rushed to her side, placing a palm on Ruto’s forehead, letting her power flow.

"I think she’ll be okay. But she’s in shock right now, so we need to get her back to the Domain."

"Right. Help me carry her." Zelda’s gaze crossed over to Link, who was inspecting the Lynel’s corpse. "Link, don’t take the shock arrows. It would not make a good impression to show up with those in hand to a peaceful meeting with the Zora."

"They know me," he responded levelly, his gaze still fixed ahead. "But that’s not what I was looking at." Without a further word, he took the bow from the Lynel’s hands and hung it over the sword on his back.

"Are you hurt?" Mipha asked.

"No, not anymore. Though I can’t recommend blocking shock arrows with metal. It was... not pleasant."

"You saved her. Thank you."

He gave an awkward shrug, as though he were being thanked for pointing out that the sky was blue. Then he made his way back to the carriage with them.

Ruto rested in Mipha’s lap, as the carriage continued upward on the switchback path. She didn’t seem as if she would regain consciousness any time soon.

"That Lynel… it’s the one that has always lived above the domain. But I’ve never seen it this far outside its territory. Why would it come here?"

Link shrugged. "It was injured before I fought it. There were a bunch of arrows stuck in its back, and… some kind of burn mark on the hide. Fire magic, perhaps? Either it was chased out of its territory, or it was injured and needed to find some easy prey."

The question of who or what had attacked the Lynel remained unspoken. Mipha leaned back in her seat. Some of her fellow Zora had occasionally talked of driving that Lynel away, but arrows and fire did not sound like a Zora attack. And surely no one she knew would be foolish enough to drive it in the direction of Zora’s Domain. Still, she was uneasy as they approached the Domain. The carriage had reached level ground and stopped just in front of the broad, shining bridge that led into the town. The driver opened the door for them, and Link stepped out, first assisting Mipha and the unconscious child she held, then Zelda to the ground. Side by side they walked across the bridge.

"Princess Mipha!" a Zora woman cried, "Welcome-"

She spotted Ruto in Mipha's arms. "What happened?"

Zelda spoke, "We encountered a Lynel on the road. Link slew it."

Mipha looked down at Ruto, "She was grazed by a shock arrow. There doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage, but she will need to rest. Do you know where her father is?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, he is giving counsel to the king. Princess, your majesty, Sir Link, please come this way. I will send for help."

She led them forward across the bridge, and quickly alerted the first guard she saw to the situation. The guard, a young woman of similar coloration to Mipha, immediately dove over the railing and swam off with a flash of her fins. As they reached the town center, half a dozen guards leapt back out of the water, landing nimbly in the stone courtyard. The tallest, a bluish-grey male, reached out for the child and took her in his arms.

"My sister," he explained. Then he leapt over the railing once more.

The remaining guards stood on either side of the royal trio, their presence forming a boundary against the excited crowd that was beginning to gather, allowing them to continue moving forward. There were cries of “Welcome home, Princess Mipha!” and “Queen Zelda!” and “Thank you!” and “Congratulations!” and a hundred other things that blurred into a singular din. Mipha’s head began to spin, but she fixed a polite smile to her face and waved, as she was sure Zelda was doing on the other side of the path. She felt Link’s presence shrink behind them, as if he were trying to go unnoticed again, but in the middle of the glowing city, it was rather futile. That said, most of the attention was drawn by the victorious return of the Zora princess and the visit from the Queen herself, despite his role as Champion and Prince Consort, Link ranked a distant third in the public eye.

A bundle of lotus flowers was pushed into Mipha’s arms, and she had no choice but to accept. It occupied her arms in any case, so she no longer had to choose between polite waving and being unsure of what to do with her hands. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Zelda carrying a similar bouquet, leaning forward to breathe in the scent. More flowers landed at their feet. At length, they reached the palace at the north end of the city, a blessed retreat from the public. Eventually they stood before King Dorephan himself.

“Mipha, my dear daughter…”

She ran to him and threw her arms around his side, barely covering a quarter of his circumference. “Father, I missed you…”

“As did I. I am so proud of you, and the role you took in defending our lands and assisting the people of Castle Town for so long. You still have not told me of the battle. I must hear the tale from you… ah, later, over dinner.”

He turned to the young queen.

“Queen Zelda, we are honored by your presence. If there is anything you desire during your stay in Zora’s Domain, let it be known and it shall be yours. Accommodations have been prepared for you and your companions, and my guards will lead you there. I hope it satisfies your majesty.”

“I thank you for your hospitality,” Zelda replied. “Zora’s Domain seems to have grown even more beautiful since the last time that I saw it. I am sure we will all enjoy our time here.”

Dorephan then turned to Link.

“Master Link, how much you have grown. I hear that you carried out your role as wielder of the sword admirably. I thank you for protecting our kingdom, and my daughter.”

Link bowed in response.

The Zora king continued, “Tonight you must rest. Tomorrow we have arranged a great feast in honor of your victory and my daughter’s marriage- yes Link, I see the gleam in your eyes, rest assured there will be all the hearty bass you can eat. I will not keep you any longer. Eilea, Paias, guide our guests to the royal villas, please.”

Two Zora guards, one sunset-pink and the other forest green, nodded, and gestured at Zelda and Link to follow, as Mipha moved ahead of them, knowing the way well. They made their way across arching, gleaming footbridges to a series of rooms carved into the cliff walls. Everything was carved in intricate, geometric detail, ornate columns and arches towering above them. The villa they entered had three floors and was finely furnished. Eilea and Paias bowed as they reached the threshold and then dived into the waters below. Zelda immediately set out exploring, while Link sank into a plush Rito-made chair that practically swallowed him.

Mipha found Zelda on the third floor, gazing out the window at the last rays of the sunset refracting through the great waterfall. She took a place beside the queen at the window seat.

“It’s all so beautiful,” Zelda sighed.

“I’m glad you like it,” Mipha said, reaching for her hand. “I wondered if anything could impress one who grew up in Hyrule Castle.”

Zelda lowered her head, “The castle is… was beautiful. But these past few years it has become a place of little but bad memories, a gilded cage. When it is rebuilt, I plan to change some things. A kingdom cannot remain the same forever.”

“That is true. Our Domain is slow to change, as the pace of our lives is slow. Yet even this place has vanished under the ice and been reborn several times. Or so the stories say.”

“I would like to hear those stories someday. I think it is important, now more than ever, to make sure that the history of Hyrule is preserved.” Zelda’s eyes glimmered with the fascination they always had when discussing ancient times.

Mipha raised her hand and kissed it, “My queen, I will dedicate a book to you.”

“I’d like that,” she smiled.

* * *

 

She awoke to moonlight streaming through the window, limbs tangled in blankets, the odd rasping snore from Link. She saw that Zelda had risen and was standing before the window, the moonlight illuminating her hair silver-gold, streaming through the light robe she wore. Hearing Mipha stir, she turned.

"I couldn’t sleep," she said, a little bashfully.

"Are you alright?" Mipha rolled onto her stomach and raised herself onto her elbows.

"I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind these days. Do you think it would be okay if I went for a walk?"

"My home is yours, Zelda. Would you like me to guide you?"

"Thank you, but I would like to explore on my own a little. I won’t go off the main paths. I just want to see it all in the moonlight.” Her hands twisted in her loose hair.

“Alright then. If you need any help, just ask one of the guards. They’ll lead you right back here.”

“I will.” She removed her robe and stood bare in the dim light, then slid a simple shift dress over her head. Over that, she wore a thicker robe that she secured around her waist. The Zora were not particularly concerned with modesty, and so Mipha thought she needn’t have bothered changing, but for the cool night air.

“I’ll see you soon. Rest well, Mipha.” She turned and left the room, the door giving a slight click as it closed.

At the sound of the door, Link awoke, looking around the room blearily.

“Where’s Zelda?” he asked, eyes suddenly wide.

Mipha brushed his hair from his face, “She wanted to take a walk by herself.”

Seeing that he was still tensed, she continued, “The guards will be watching her. She has no intention of leaving the Domain. Let her be.”

He gave a grunt of grudging assent. Letting Zelda be was not his strong point, but he understood the importance of it.

Mipha leaned forward and kissed him, and after a moment, he leaned back into her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. She felt the heat of his body, and wondered if she felt cool to him. Her hand traced its way from the back of his neck down and around to his chest, and she broke the kiss.

“You know, I have shared a bed with both you and Zelda, and also Zelda alone, but I believe this is the first time you and I have been together like this, Link…”

He made a sound of acknowledgement, then pulled her in for another kiss. She ran her hands through his hair and entwined them around the back of his neck pulling him closer. Apparently he was not in a talkative mood, but his breathing was audible, and he definitely felt warmer than usual, especially when he pushed her legs apart and moved between them, and his body pressed against hers. She reached down, fingers slipping under the waistband of his undershorts, finding the source of the heat. He groaned and moved against her palm. By unspoken agreement, she helped him remove that sole item of clothing, and then he swept up her arms in one swift movement and pinned her wrists above her head.

She remembered this, the times when they had fought and trained against each other when they were younger, and she had secretly let him win, just for what had been a confusingly enticing sensation that came with being pinned beneath him. She had never breathed a word of it, but apparently he was of the same tastes. He seemed to find his voice then.

“You want me, Mipha?”

She nodded mutely, then gasped as he slid into her and her long held imaginings came true.


	2. Interlude: Ancient Core

In the caverns deep below Hyrule Castle, a young lady stood. Her silver hair was tied back in an elaborate arrangement of plaits and buns, and she had noble features. That image was somewhat undermined by the dark grease staining her hands and forearms, and the way she childishly toyed with the strange assemblage of gears and cogs she held in one hand, spinning the pieces back and forth for her own amusement. After a moment, she tucked the object under one arm, ignoring the grime that smeared onto her white robe, and pecked at a curiously carved slab of dark stone with one finger.

"Activate."

She spoke and the Guardian whirred to life. There were a series of mechanical sounds as its deep blue eye fixed on first her, then the young man next to her. Recognising them as Shiekah, it made no move to fire.

"Ugh. Well, whatever this is, it’s clearly not essential to startup." She threw the metal object and it landed with a heavy clunk among several other cogs and gears. Her companion made his way to the pile and picked up the discarded object, adjusting his glasses as he examined it.

"Ahh. Hmm. Hrmmm…"

The young man adjusted his round glasses.

"Any insights you’d like to share? We have to find a way to make sure these things can’t be activated without the Queen’s authorization. Preferably before she gets back from her honeymoon."

"This is a fine example of a flangelical assembly. Very fine indeed. I shall have to sketch this in my notebook." He licked a finger and turned a page, making a slight grimace at the black grease he had inadvertently ingested.

"A flange-what?" The woman shook her head in irritation. "I don’t believe any of these are real technical terms. Particularly the… what did you call it... 'Robbi-nator'?"

"What can I say? Our ancestors were certainly prescient in their knowledge of who the great future researchers of the Sheikah Clan would be. Why, I bet the knowledge coded into every gear of the machines themselves is…"

But the woman was no longer listening to him. Instead, she hopped back and forth in front of the Guardian, amusing herself as it twirled and refocused its lenses to keep up with her. She struck a pose as if the mechanical eye were taking a picture of her.

"Snap!"


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added a sentence to the previous chapter/interlude explaining that the Sheikah Slate is currently with Purah and Robbie, in case anyone was wondering why neither Zelda nor Link have it.
> 
> Also this is basically the last chapter of mostly-fluff before things start going to hell. Enjoy!

The sun was high in the sky when Zelda awoke, having spent much of the night gazing at the moon and its reflections on the water and luminous stone of the Domain. Her heart had been heavy, but the beauty of this place comforted her in her melancholy, allowed her tears to spill over the railing and into the water, and for her to feel a refreshing emptiness when she had cried all she could. It made her indulgent self-pity feel almost romantic- the lonely queen alone on a clear night. And so her heart felt lightened as she wiped her face on her sleeve and offered a quick prayer to the spirit of her father and then to the Goddess. This time, the prayer to Hylia was no meticulously memorized ancient chant, merely the sound of her own halting words in the still air. And this time, she had felt the presence of the Goddess, if only faintly. Mipha had suggested trying to talk to her, but she was still reluctant to call Hylia in her full glory for a conversation. Not until she knew better what to say.

She had returned to the villa to find Link and Mipha asleep in a loose embrace. As she lay down beside them, it was only a moment before she was drifting too.

They were both gone now, Link presumably for training, Mipha to catch up with her own family and people. Zelda felt a moment’s embarrassment at having slept so late. Then she caught a hold of herself and reminded herself that this was her honeymoon and there would be no guilt. She had awakened her power, sealed the dark beast, and begun building the future of the royal family. If anyone wished to demand more of her while she was still a mere teenager, they could go pound sand in the Gerudo Desert. There was plenty of it.

She made her way to the first floor of the villa, and found as Mipha had promised, a circular bath fed by a hot spring. A spout on the wall in the shape of a Lynel head spat water into the tub, she filled a bucket under it and cleansed her body and hair before lowering herself into the tub to soak. The heat of the water caused her to relax in muscles she didn’t even realize she had been tensing, and she spent some time kicking her legs underwater and watching the ripples spread across the tub, amusing herself like a child. 

She watched the steam condense on the blue tiles around her, and thought that she would definitely have to invite Link and Mipha to share a bath before their time here was up. Her mind filled with various interesting possibilities, but before she could indulge her imagination too much, a wave of dizziness hit her and reminded her of the dangers of lengthy immersion in hot water. As she carefully rose from the bath, the cool air on her reddened skin felt as glorious as the hot water had been. She wrapped herself her light bathrobe before ascending the stairs to clothe herself properly.

* * *

She found Link sparring with some of the Zora guards, trading tips on swords and spears respectively. One of the young male Zora, perhaps the guard from the previous day, was wielding an ornate silver longsword of Zora construction, while Link held the Master Sword. The young Zora lunged and struck with a vertical swing, but Link had already pivoted and thrust his blade through the gaps in the Zora sword, disarming his opponent with a flick of his wrist. The silver blade clattered on the stone several meters away.

Zora craftsmanship was beautiful, but frequently impractical, Zelda thought, compared to the plain, utilitarian weapons of Hylian soldiers. Then again, the spears that were the Zora’s primary weapons were not to be underestimated. Even small, gentle Mipha could deliver a formidable flurry of stabs in the blink of an eye.

Come to think of it, why were they training with live weapons?

She approached, and Link sheathed his sword and turned to her.

"Good morning."

"Is it still morning?" she said, glancing up at the sky. "I confess, I can’t tell."

He paused and looked up as well "No… I guess it’s a bit after one. I must have lost track of time."

He turned back to the green Zora, "Well fought, Paias. And thank you for the spear lesson."

The Zora bowed. "It was my pleasure, Sir Link, and an honor to train with you."

Link bobbed his head in a quick bow, and turned toward Zelda.

"Did you sleep well?"

"A little too well, perhaps. I can’t believe the day is half gone. I was hoping to go to Toto Lake and examine the flora."

Link wrinkled his face, "A survey? On our honeymoon?"

"Says the man who was sparring with live blades all morning. None of us are great romantics, you must admit."

"I admit."

"You didn’t get hurt, did you? Is Mipha around?" She cast her gaze over the shining city, the glare of the sun overhead made it slightly painful.

"With her father and brother, I believe. It’s been a long time since she saw them. And I’m not hurt. They couldn’t touch me." There was a hint of a smirk on his face.

"Well, if you’re done trying to stab each other, I, for one, would like to eat today... I’d ask but I already know the answer."

He grinned, "Follow me."

He led her through a winding maze of arching bridges, to a cavern just above the waterline. A crude door and window were carved into the stone, along with rough cylinders of stone at around the right height for an adult Zora to sit on. Water dripped here and there from stalactites above.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"Best home-style Zora cooking in the Domain," he asserted, as a wizened and bent Zora woman set the table for them. "Leona, what’s the special today?"

"Hot-footed frog legs," replied the Zora, "At this time of year, we serve them with a sweet and spicy sauce."

"Sounds great! We’ll take a basket to share." If he noticed Zelda blanching, he pretended not to. "Oh, and the fish of the day with rice. One each."

He grinned across the table, "You wanted to see me eat a frog, right? They’re actually not too bad, kind of chicken-y. Oh, but you’re going to have to eat it too. It would upset the old lady terribly if the Queen of Hyrule were to turn down her cooking."

Zelda arched an eyebrow. "You scoundrel-" she began, but was interrupted by the sudden arrival of a reed basket containing what might have been mistaken for fried chicken wings. They did smell rather tasty. Mustering up all her stubbornness, she stared Link in the eye as she dipped one in the hot sauce and took a cautious bite.

"That’s… actually really good. Delicious in fact." The peppers in the sauce warmed her body, and whether it was some supposed effect of the frog or just eating for the first time that day, she really did feel a burst of energy. What followed was a silent battle of speed-augmented munching as each of them aimed to eat as many frog legs as possible before the basket was empty.

No sooner had Zelda polished off the last one than two more plates arrived, each bearing a grilled fish, steamed lotus root and white rice. It was more subtly seasoned than the spicy frog legs, the natural flavors coming through. The skin of the fish was crispy and the flesh white and flaky. Link had practically inhaled half of his seemingly before she had taken her second bite, but Zelda began to feel the need to pace herself. He had been right, the old lady was an excellent cook. When he finished eating, Link seemed content to sit and watch her, the breeze tugging gently at his tunic and hair. There was a quiet contentment on his face, an expression Zelda found herself mirroring. The sky, the water and the shining stone came together to create an endless blue, the air was cool against her skin. It was a moment she would gladly stay in.

She finished the fish and pushed the plate aside. When the Zora came to collect it, Link ordered dessert, "raspberry flavored" whatever it might be. He leaned over and whispered something in the chef’s ear and she shuffled off to the kitchen again. She returned bearing a plate heaped with snow, topped with a sprig of peppermint, raspberry syrup staining a heart-shape into the center, and two spoons.

“Okay, I admit it. This  _ is _ romantic. Frog legs and all.”

Link did not reply. Instead he scooped some raspberry snow from the center of the plate, and raised the spoon to her lips. She opened her mouth obediently, and felt the icy spoon on her tongue, followed by the sour-sweet tang of raspberry, bitingly cold. She closed her mouth and he withdrew the spoon, leaving the melting ice in her mouth. He took another spoonful of the snow for himself, then moved towards her suddenly. His lips met hers in a kiss that was at once hot and cold and altogether raspberry-flavored. After a moment, he pulled back, but his fingers entwined with hers. 

They took turns lazily feeding each other spoonfuls of raspberry ice until the remnants of the dish began to melt and they mutually agreed to finish it off quickly.

* * *

It was too late to make the trip to Toto Lake and be certain of returning in time for dinner, and so Zelda asked Link to show her around the Domain from his perspective. They wandered through the streets aimlessly until they reached a junction and he asked, “Right or left?” Then they would proceed down her chosen path, as he told stories of the time that Prince Sidon skinned his knee on a certain staircase, or the time Mipha had dropped her first trident over the railing, or when they had all hidden under a bridge to evade the royal tutor and his history book. Every corner of the city held some recollection for him, and she had scarcely heard him speak so much in one day. Eventually a turn brought them back to the center of the Domain, and noticed that the sun was beginning to sink below the ridge of the mountains. It was time for them to make their way to the palace.

They entered the throne room, which was being prepared as a banquet hall with King Dorephan at the end of the table. Zelda wondered if he ever moved more than a few feet, if he even could. Everything seemed designed to move around him. It was a stark contrast to the grace and speed with which most Zora moved. Then again, he was almost certainly older than any other Zora in the Domain, the only ones who could possibly be his contemporaries were wizened and hunched. The King remained eternally cheerful and with a look of general health, despite his great size. He seemed satisfied with the trade-off.

Mipha stood before him, the two of them seemingly deep in conversation. As Zelda and Link approached, they caught snippets.

“Sidon… make a good king…”

“... must it be so?”

The conversation ground to a halt as the new arrivals were noticed.

“Ah, Queen Zelda, Sir Link… I welcome you. The banquet is soon to start, but before that, there are some things that must be discussed.”

Mipha gave a wan smile, “We are just discussing Zora politics, marriage and succession. It seems my marriage into the Hylian royal family has complicated things, particularly since I am not likely to bear children from this union. Father wishes to name Sidon as his direct successor.”

“Sidon?”

“Father is not wrong. I am confident that he will be an excellent ruler when he is grown… It is just… a burden I was hoping to spare him.”

The king looked at her affectionately.

“Mipha, my dear, you have already borne so many burdens for us. Becoming Champion, inheriting the power of the goddesses. You cannot protect us all from everything, nor should you want to.”

“But I  _ do _ want to protect you,” she said with a hint of uncharacteristic fierceness.

Zelda spoke up, “Mipha, do you want to be queen someday?”

Mipha sighed, “It is not something I have ever thought about in terms of  _ wanting to _ . I expect you know the feeling well. It is just… something I was born with. I don’t wish for anyone else to have to shoulder my responsibilities… However, if I bear no children, Sidon will be king when I am gone. It is merely a question of time.”

She looked back up at the king, “Father… I will abide by your decision. Whatever it may be. We have many decades before a successor will need to take the throne. Please give it careful thought.”

“Of course, my daughter. My advisors and I have discussed this most thoroughly. Now, let us discuss other matters. I wished to ask your husband there about the Lynel you encountered near the Domain. It is a most unusual and concerning matter.”

“Is the girl alright?” Link asked.

“Yes, thanks to you. I hear she awoke late this morning, and has been playing with the other young ones since, as if nothing happened. Children are quite remarkable in their resilience.”

Link gave a sigh of relief, “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Now, Sir Link. The skies have cleared following the downfall of the Calamity, and yet, I feel a cold shadow approaching. I confess I am anxious that the attack by this Lynel is no mere coincidence. It is too early to say that Hyrule is at peace. Would you tell me everything you know about the attack?”

Link removed the bow from his back, and lay it before the king. The wood was stained a dark grey, and the tips were decorated with golden, wing-like shapes. 

“This is the bow that the Lynel was carrying. It’s of Rito construction.”

Zelda felt there was something familiar about this specific bow, but she dared not say it.

“It’s unusual for a Lynel to not be carrying their own bow. They favor bows of their own construction, which can fire up to five arrows at a time, made of a heavy steel most people can barely draw. Also… the Lynel was wounded before I fought it. It was full of arrows and burned.”

The king seemed to be pondering the implications of this.

Mipha chipped in, “We were wondering if someone had intentionally driven it towards the Domain, hoping it would attack us.”

Link spoke again, “Furthermore, I suspect whoever did it took the Lynel’s bow for themselves. They replaced it with the Rito bow, either because they didn’t need it, or needed to get rid of it.”

He gave a deep sigh as he looked down at the bow in front of him. Then he turned his head back to his companions.

“Mipha... I’ve been hoping you know, since no one else does.”

His gaze contained no hint of playfulness.

“Where  _ is _ Revali?”


	4. Interlude: Silver Shield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disregard previous note, I decided to add an extra interlude in here.
> 
> This fic was mostly written in November before the DLC release, and so Sidon is somewhat older than shown in canon. He's more similar in age and size to Prince Ralis from Twilight Princess.

Sidon sat on the edge of the pool and kicked his feet in the water restlessly. He couldn’t wait for the dinner tonight, when they could finally welcome his sister home for good. She had been so scarce since she began piloting the Divine Beast, but she had promised to come back if he was good. And he had been good. Mostly.

And yet, something within him refused to be calmed. She was married to Link and that Hylian princess- no, queen- now. He wrinkled his face. He liked Link, and the queen seemed nice. But surely the queen wasn’t going to live in Zora’s Domain. And that could only mean that Mipha wouldn’t, either.

He plucked a snail from the water’s edge and turned it upside down, watching as it slowly emerged from its shell, reaching its body out in hesitant exploration, as if confused about its current predicament. Eventually the shifting of its weight caused the shell to roll over, and it found the ground. Disturbed, it began to make its way at top snail speed back into the waters as Sidon watched idly.

He couldn’t shake this irritation. He sunk himself to the bottom of the pool and blew out a stream of bubbles, then launched himself through the roiling surface of the water and landed on the damp stone. With the pattering of small, wet feet on stairs, he made his way to the upper reaches of the Domain, looking out on the expanse of shimmering stone and crystal waters.

He leaned on the handrail, which was at chin-height, with a sigh.

It had all been so simple before. Mipha was there, and he had liked it that way. Even when she was being all bossy and scolding him for going in her room and touching her things, or reminding him it wasn’t  _ princely _ to mop up fish sauce with his cravat or smear green algae on his face and stick his tongue out and pretend to be a Lizalfos. Until she had left, he had never considered the possibility that she  _ could . _

But now he was aware and that awareness was like a box that couldn’t be closed once it had been opened. A dissatisfaction settled inside his chest as he realized that things would never be quite the same. She had told him about this once, before she left, that growing up was like slowly realizing that everything was much less simple than you imagined. He hadn’t understood, but he was beginning to.

Tired of moping, he swung back and forth on the handrail with restless energy. There certainly were a lot of visitors in the Domain today. Usually, he could go weeks without seeing a single Hylian, now, apart from the two his sister had married, he had seen three more. A woman with dark hair and the simple clothing of a traveller carried a fresh trout she had purchased, along with what seemed to be the hunting knife she intended to butcher it with. There was another woman in an off-white robe with a hood, silver hair peeking out from underneath. There was a flash of bright red at the collar.

_ One of the ones from that village to the south, maybe. Kakariko? Do they count as Hylians? _ He pondered. He’d never left the Domain before, but the village was spoken of now and then. Someday, he had a mind to visit it. Mipha wasn’t the only one who could travel, after all.

The last Hylian he’d spotted appeared to be an older man, engaged in conversation with a Goron merchant. Gorons weren’t a particularly common sight in Zora’s Domain either, but they did visit to trade precious stones now and then. He wondered what would happen if one ever fell in the water. It seemed unlikely that they could swim, all round and bouldery. He laughed at the idea of one trying to.

His laugh turned into a cough as he realized the silver-haired woman was beside him. When had she gotten so close? She seemed to be sizing him up, with a rather cool expression on her face. Then she broke into a smile.

"Oh, I’m sorry to startle you, little one! I must have taken a wrong turn. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal family…"

"The royal family...Oh!" He realized that she meant the newly-married Hyrulean royals, and not him or his father. "Sorry, I’m not sure where they all are right now."

She smiled disarmingly, "That’s fine. I have other business here anyway. Do you know the leader of Kakariko Village?"

He strained his memory. "...Impa?"

"Yes, that’s right. I’m working on something for her. So, I guess I’d better get going." She said the last part with a sigh.

"Alright, have a good-"

He spoke, but she was already somehow gone.

In the direction where she had been standing, he saw a silver grey guard approaching.

"Prince Sidon. I trust all is well?"

"Yeah, no problem."

"Who was that?"

"She said she was working for Impa."

Argent nodded knowingly. "No doubt the Sheikah are keeping a close eye on the new queen and her partners. It is a dangerous time for them."

"Dangerous?" Sidon asked, looking up at him.

"Oh...well. That is... There is nothing to worry about, my prince. As long as they are in the Zora’s Domain, the guard will protect them. You have my word."

_ And what if they leave the Domain? _ he thought, but did not ask.

Argent reached out a hand. "Come, young prince. It is almost time for the dinner to start."


	5. Chapter Three

Mipha’s gaze was stricken as her eyes met Link’s, whether with sorrow or guilt he could not tell. She looked down at the bow as if she had not truly seen it before, with a horrified recognition.

“I don’t know!” she blurted, “Link, what does this mean? If the Lynel has his bow… Is he hurt? We need to find him!”

The king spoke. “We have already sent a survey party to Ploymus Mountain. If anyone fought with the Lynel there, there are no obvious traces of it. Are you saying you know the attacker?”

“Revali wouldn’t do this! He is a Champion, he fought to protect this land! If this is his bow… it must have been taken from him… Link…”

Link’s voice was heavy, “It seems extremely unlikely that Revali would plan something like this. I can’t rule out the possibility that he encountered the Lynel through sheer misfortune and lost his bow in the struggle… but… you said there were no signs of a fight? This weapon doesn’t have a scratch on it, either. If he simply fled, he could be anywhere by now.”

“So we don’t search for him?” Her eyes were fearful.

“I… He’s a person of interest. I definitely have some questions for him. But… he’s probably safe. Lynels make quite the mess when they kill. No one could have missed it.”

“I also have some questions for this Rito friend of yours,” the king said. “We will send out scouts tomorrow, in all directions. But enough heavy discussion for one night. My daughter has returned, with a husband and a wife, no less, and tonight we celebrate your happiness!”

He pointed them towards the opposite end of the table, “Mipha, tonight you are the lady of honor. I expect your spouses will take seats either side of you, and the rest of the table will be our advisors and guards, at least until things get rowdy and protocol is forgotten. Hah!”

They followed the guards, who directed them to their seats. Mipha’s face was still worried, and her hands twisted in her lap.

“Hey,” Link said gently, “I’m sure he’s fine. You know Revali. He’d never let himself get taken down by some random monster.”

“I know…”

She lay her hands on the table and took a deep breath.

“But the other options are equally concerning… Someone, whoever it is, either wants it to look like or doesn’t care if it looks like a Rito attacked the Zora.”

“Is that a problem?” Zelda asked, “My studies of history did not mention any conflicts between Rito and Zora in the last couple of centuries. Surely an attack by one Rito out of nowhere would appear to be an anomaly. The Zora are not such a rash people.”

“You forget, my queen. Three centuries is well within the lifespan of a Zora. There are those among us who recall vividly the last conflict with our sky-dwelling cousins. My people’s hearts are slow to move, that is true. Yet once a grudge is set, it stagnates like trapped water.”

Food and drinks had appeared before them while they were absorbed in conversation. Mipha swirled a silver chalice of water in one hand, pensive.

“I heard it from my elders. Long before I was born, there was a drought in the Tabantha region that lasted for many years. There was an incursion into our lands by a tribe of Rito who wished to drink our water and eat our fish. Furthermore, they were unhappy that we lived in the water that they coveted. It is said among both races that the Rito and Zora share common ancestors, and they slandered us as mud-dwellers, inferior creatures that lacked the grace to fly, a branch of the family tree that should be pruned… Of course, for the Rito, this was many generations ago. We cannot hold it against their great-great-great grandchildren. And yet that is why it worries me. The Rito may have forgotten, but… the Zora do not forget…”

Link and Zelda had gone quiet. Finally, Zelda spoke,

“I… had learned of some of that, though I had never heard a Zora account of the conflicts. You believe that there are Zora who would interpret a Rito attack as a renewal of old hostilities, is that correct? Then, we must get to the bottom of this matter before it slips beyond our control. If your father’s scouting party can find Revali, that will be a start…”

Link began to speak through a mouthful of simmered vegetables, swallowing quickly once he noticed Zelda’s look of disapproval.

“It will work out in the end, Mipha. I’ll figure it out myself if I have to. Wielding the Master Sword has its ups and downs, but one advantage is that people tend to listen to me. Maybe the sword itself has that effect. Goddess knows I’m no great speaker.”

“Thank you… I know both of you are with me, and that always gives me hope… Then, let’s try to enjoy this banquet for the time being.”

Link turned back to the assorted dishes in front of him. There were vegetables simmered in a fish-broth, river crabs, and aquatic snails sauteed with herbs, along with the usual grilled fish. Mipha’s servants had brought her a sliced raw fish, so freshly butchered that the tail was still faintly twitching. Zelda was observing with faint horror. Link had eaten his share of raw fish in his travels, but had developed a distinct preference for the cooked kind. Further down the table, Zora were laughing and cheering at a dish of squid that appeared to be stumbling away across the table.

Mipha must have caught the expression on Zelda’s face, because she said,

“Ah, it is not actually alive. The salt in the fish sauce causes the muscles to spasm and it ‘walks’ like that. The guards find it amusing.”

“How fascinating,” the queen murmured, quickly fixing her eyes on her own food and nothing else.

“Mind if I take a slice of that fish?” Link asked.

“Oh, go ahead,” she replied, offering the plate. He took a piece, and the tender flesh melted in his mouth. If one was going to eat raw fish, the Zora’s Domain was the place to do it. The Zora did not drink alcohol, but servants poured red wine for the two Hylian guests. Link raised his glass and clinked the edge against Mipha’s chalice, then Zelda’s glass. He took a sip and found the wine a little on the sweet side, but it would probably be to Zelda’s liking. She smiled at him over the edge of her glass.

Finally, everyone seemed to have relaxed. Tomorrow’s problems could wait until tomorrow, tonight was for celebration. He leaned back, looking up at the distant roof of the hall, the windows and skylights that showed patches of the clear night sky, the stars too faint to be seen amid the glow from the luminous stone. The darkness was absolute, as if it were painted on the ceiling in squares. He looked back at Mipha to see a quiet smile on her face, despite everything, she was certainly enjoying her return home. He hoped that she could keep faith that, once again, everything would work out for the best.

Barely audible above the chatter in the banquet hall, there was the sound of a footstep on the roof. If not for the sensitivity to the subtly-out-of-place granted by his knight training, Link would have heard nothing. As it was, he simply glanced upward.

A glimmering point arced through the air, high among the rafters, passing over their heads and down the length of the hall. Before he could react it split into five rippling lights, electricity sparking between them. He moved, but there was simply too much distance to close. The shock arrows rained down upon the Zora king, embedding themselves in his forehead, chest and belly. There was a blinding flash and a deafening clap of thunder, as tendrils of sparking light engulfed him.

Screams of fear and confusion rose from the crowd, guards drawing their weapons on an opponent that was nowhere to be seen. The air was acrid with the taste of lightning and burnt flesh, Link’s ears were ringing from the noise. 

Before he even realized what he was doing, he was halfway up the wall, clambering with the slightest footholds on the slick stone, making his way to the skylight where he had heard the footsteps just before. He thought he heard another movement, but when he pulled himself onto the roof, the presence was gone, as though they had simply flown into the night air. He slipped back through the window into the hall, which was now in chaos.

Mipha had reached her father now, was pressing her hands into him, her mouth moving, pleading, as though she was willing her power to flow into the king’s limp body. His insides sank as he realized it was a lost cause.

He landed on the floor, steadying himself with one arm, then grabbed Zelda’s hand and pulled her as he ran. He would need to keep both her and Mipha close to him, either could be the next target.

They reached Mipha’s side. The Zora princess was staring without comprehension at the body of her father, slumped in his seat. The arrows embedded in his flesh still sparked, lightning arcing between the shafts. Tears were already running silently down Zelda’s face, as she pulled Mipha into an embrace. Only then did Mipha let out a wail of grief, her face crumpling as she gasped between ragged sobs.

Link slipped on a cold and calm mask, his own sorrow pushed deep inside until he was sure the threat was gone. He sensed no presences within or outside the building, but was not willing to bet his wives’ safety on that. The hidden opponent had already bested him once when his guard was down, and he cursed himself for his slowness. It must not happen again.

The Zora guards seemed to regain some semblance of order, and a group of them gathered around Mipha and Zelda.

“Your majesty, your highness, follow us. We must take you to a secure location.”

The silver colored guard who had spoken nodded at Link, who followed. They descended spiralling staircases, down and down into windowless rooms that were surely underwater. The air grew cold and damp.

They reached a set of rooms that were furnished and liveable, though much less luxurious than where they had stayed the previous night. The silver guard addressed Zelda again.

“I apologize for the rough accommodations, your majesty. But you are deep within the heart of the Domain now. Anyone who wishes to reach this place will have to pass through the entire Zora guard. Rest assured, you are safe here.”

Zelda nodded, “I thank you.”

Mipha was still sobbing quietly, but she spoke up, “Argent, you must bring Sidon. Father’s wish was to appoint him heir. If they… If he... I can’t…” She dissolved into tears again.

“Of course. The guards are bringing him now.”

Argent made his way to the door, “I must go. The guard will be busy tonight, securing the Domain.” His voice cracked a little, “My sincerest condolences to you, Princess Mipha.”

A wordless cry was her only response.

Zelda had taken a blanket from the bed, and guided Mipha to the couch, wrapping the blanket around both of their shoulders. Mipha’s face was buried in her shoulder, and the queen looked helplessly at Link. Link took the sword from his back, and pulled it a few inches from the sheath. The blade shone no more than any other metal in the room, a slight reassurance. There would be no sleep for him tonight, only an anxious vigil.

The door opened again, and all of them looked up in alarm. Link recognized the dark blue Zora with the scarred fin, and the wide eyed and uncharacteristically silent child by his side.

“Mimi,” he murmured, and ran to her.

Mipha took him in her arms as they both cried and clung to each other. Tears in her eyes, Zelda adjusted the blanket to cover them and keep them warm. She and Link shared a hopeless look across the room, there was nothing they could do to make this pain any easier to bear. It was not their moment to interrupt.

Link took up a guard stance by the entrance of the room. He would stand, vigilant into the night, as he was trained to do, focused on any movement or sound that was out of place. It was the only skill he had that was useful in a situation like this. Eventually Zelda came to his side, golden light cupped in her hands.

“This is an experiment. I still don’t really know what my powers can do, but… I think I can offer some protection to this room.”

The light split into seven little orbs, which swam through the air like fireflies, before embedding themselves in the walls as glowing points. A faint shell of light formed around the room, before fading from visibility.

“It… probably won’t hold for long, if anything tries to break it. But it will buy us some time, I hope…”

He nodded, then leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. Her eyes were red from crying, and he brushed away a few strands of hair that were stuck to her face. She stepped forward and threw herself against his chest, hands clinging to the fabric of his tunic. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, feeling the heat of her tears soak into his clothing. At the same time, he noticed the tears running down his own face. Dorephan had been a kind and wise king, always generous and warm to the Hylian army-brat that insisted on running all over the place with his daughter. It wasn’t fair, to have survived the Calamity and then fall before peace could be enjoyed. As crystal and unchanging as it had seemed, part of the Zora’s Domain was gone now, and would never be the same.

Zelda retired to the couch, to give what comfort she could to Mipha and Sidon. No doubt she was asking the goddess for protection and guidance. Link continued to stand at the entrance.

The time passed with agonizing slowness, yet eventually Mipha and Sidon seemed to have cried themselves to sleep. Next to them, Zelda’s breathing also slowed. Only one remained awake, silent and still as a statue, waiting for the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...
> 
> High class Zora cuisine can get a little weird, but the dishes mentioned are based on real food. "Ikizukuri" is the Japanese term for live seafood, Korea and China have their own variations.


	6. Chapter Four

Mipha opened her eyes, rubbing away the crust in the corners. She was in an unfamiliar place, lit only by lamplight and mysterious glowing points on the walls. Her body told her it must be morning, but she had no way of confirming it.

Her father was dead.

The agonizing hollowness welled up in her again, twisting her stomach until she thought she might retch. Memories of the previous night welled up in her mind’s eye, with her an unwilling audience. The vividness was burned into her, the terrifying hum of electricity, the charge in the air, the smell of charred flesh, more real than the room around her. She cried out, fingers raking at the sides of her head, the pain from her nails digging in bringing her back to the room in which she sat.

A glass of water, held in familiar hands, appeared before her. She looked up into Link’s face, his expression of quiet concern. 

“Thank you.”

She took the water and let the coolness of the glass in her hands ground her to the here and now, sipping the water and taking a deep breath. She didn’t wish to cry again. Not right now.

There was a fresh bandage wrapped around one of his hands. She set her glass aside and reached out for it, unwrapping the white cloth to reveal a burn mark.

“What happened?”

He hesitated visibly.

“I had to… uh… remove the… the shock arrows. They discharge if you pull too hard. No one else could do it.”

He looked back at her as if he were deeply apologetic for the reminder of what had occurred.

She placed her palm over his, eyes burning hot. He had injured himself so that her father may be put to rest with dignity, and that was after taking the shock from the Lynel’s arrows to protect Ruto two days before. Warmth spread into her hand. She reached her senses out into his body and found another burn on the sole of his foot that he had neglected to mention. She healed it and all the damage the electricity had done as it had passed through. Teardrops fell onto the back of her hand, she blinked and realized they were her own.

Link’s warm arms wrapped around her, as he pressed her to his chest.

“Mipha… I don’t know what to say… I’m so sorry…”

“Stay with me… If you promise that… then it’s enough.”

For the moment, it almost was enough. Her grief was vast and inescapable, and it was still too early for her to even think of escaping it. But his presence helped, more than anything else could.

“Where is Sidon? And Zelda?”

“Both with the guards and advisors. I believe they will wait for you before they discuss anything serious, but Zelda wished to see if there was any assistance she could offer as queen.”

“I must go, then.”

“Are you alright? I’m sure everyone will understand if you need time…”

“I’m not alright,” she said, her voice wavering on the last word, “But I will be  _ less _ alright if I stay cooped up in here while others contribute. As the king’s oldest child, I need to step in. There is no time for hesitation.”

She adjusted the jewelry on her head.

“Sidon is too young. I won’t let him bear this burden alone. Take me to them.”

Link offered her his arm and she took it. Together, they made their way up the stairs.

* * *

 

“King Dorephan was clear with us about his decision,” intoned Caius, an elderly Zora advisor with lengthy head fins. “He named Prince Sidon as his successor. No further thought on the matter was required.”

“That may be,” said Mipha, her voice sounding with an uncharacteristic sharpness, “But you can hardly argue that this is what he intended. Sidon is but a child. Do you think my father would have wanted this?”

Sidon sat beside her straight and tall, with an apparent stoicism beyond his years. Yet Mipha could see the shellshock in his eyes, the subtle trembling of his clenched fists. He was not ready. She would fight for him if she had to.

“Prince Sidon, what do you have to say about the matter?”

The boy flinched. Then he spoke with a forced levelness to his voice.

“Father wanted me to be king. I want to carry out Father’s will, even if it is difficult for me. But… Mipha is better than me. She’s stronger and smarter and better at making friends. Maybe she should be queen. I think so. If you decide that, I won’t be mad. Promise.”

Mipha looked at him with tear-blurred vision.

“Hmmnn…” intoned the elderly Zora.

One of his compatriots, broad-headed Muzu, spoke up, “Princess Mipha, I acknowledge that our King surely did not intend for Sidon to succeed him so soon. Yet, the line of succession is decided by the king and the king alone. It would set a grave precedent if the council went against that determination to appoint their own preferred leader. Our traditions must be maintained, even when it is difficult to do so. Otherwise they are merely conveniences.”

“We are not slaves to our ancestors!” Mipha snapped.

“Princess, you are bold, but yet young. Youth always thinks that it knows the way. When you have watched five centuries of youth make their mistakes, you begin to understand the wisdom of the old ways.”

“Has a situation such as this really never occurred before?” Zelda asked cautiously.

The Zora with the drooping head fins gave her a piercing glance.

“Our royal line has been broken and bent before, yes. Frequently, such things have coincided with evil in our lands, the Domain filling with ice and trapping our people within. Our stories say that an ancient princess ventured into Lake Hylia and never returned. Her line and her father’s died there. It was a time of strife for us. Strife we hope to avoid.”

Bitterness welled up in Mipha’s throat.

“And yet, you would name a child your king.”

“Mimi- Mipha. I can do this. If I have to do this, I can.” Sidon’s high voice cut through the conversation.

“I won’t allow this. My greatest desire is to protect my family and my people. If I can’t do that, then what good am I?” Her fingernails dug into her head fins.

“Were you thinking of your family and your people when you married Hylians?” Another advisor spoke up.

“That’s… Don’t use my marriage against me. I married for love. They are my family also.”

“Hrrmph,” said one advisor.

“Your past decisions factor into our current opinion of you. That is an unavoidable fact,” said another.

Zelda rose to her feet. There was a glint of gold in her gaze, a hint of the goddess, and all turned to look at her.

“If I may offer counsel.”

She paused, perhaps to see if anyone would interrupt. None did.

“In my kingdom, should the throne pass to one who is not yet of age, a regent is appointed to take on the burdens of leadership, until such time as the ruler is ready to take on those burdens. Crown Prince Sidon king, in accordance with his father’s wishes. But let Mipha serve as queen regent, until he is grown.”

She looked around the group assembled.

“Is this an acceptable compromise?”

The long-finned Zora hemmed and hawed, but eventually responded, “Your ideas have some merit, Queen.”

“Mipha?” she asked.

“Yes. If it will allow me to take care of my brother, I care nothing about the official titles.” She looked at Zelda with renewed hope.

“Prince Sidon?”

“O-okay. Yeah, I think that’ll work... You’re pretty smart, Queen Zelda.”

"Of course I am," she replied, gently teasing. Sidon gave a weak smile in response. He seemed to appreciate that Zelda was trying, at least.

"Now then," spoke Caius, "We must continue on to the preparations for the funeral. Our Hylian friends should know, that while they are welcome to attend the memorial ceremony as honored guests, there are spiritual matters that we Zora must attend to ourselves. Please take your leave."

Zelda looked at Mipha questioningly, and Mipha nodded back.

"It’s alright. Sidon and I will handle this, along with our elders. I will see you this evening."

Zelda and Link stood and left, but not before pausing by Mipha to gather in a tight hug before making their way to the door.

* * *

 

She had seen this cavern few times before, her most recent memory of it was her childhood. It was a deep, cool chamber where the dead were interred before their funeral rites. She braced herself as she entered, but no mental preparation could calm her before the sight of her father lying on the cold stone.

Stumbling, she made her way to him, falling to her knees on the hard stone beside his great head and chest, tears burning her eyes once more.

"Father… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…"

Other than the gouges left by the cruel, barbed tips of the shock arrows, he might have been asleep. Somehow the peaceful expression on his face made her sob even harder, as she knew that his death had been anything but. Who had done this, who could hold such a grudge against her father or her people? She did not understand the reason and it was all the more painful for it. Grasping his giant hand with both of her own, she made a promise to him. She swore to find out why.

She stayed there in the chill air, the stone rough on her knees, a distant sound of water dripping somewhere in the caverns the only notion of time passing. At length, she rose to her feet and proceeded deeper into the caverns. A pool of shimmering water gave off its own, unearthly light. She drew the silver trident from her back, and plunged the tip into the water.

“Ei santo, aleti ter zo cora anuei”

_ Honored water, that keeps the souls of our people _

“Ek sala, en faras zo enti anei ra”

_ Recieve now, the soul of one of your dear children _

She spun the trident over her head, creating a shimmering trail of droplets that seemed to hang in the air for just a little longer than the laws of nature would allow. Perhaps it was her heightened emotional state, but she felt her power spread in that arc, the weight of each drop in her mind like raindrops pooling in a cupped hand. The drops rained back into the pool, which rippled and returned to stillness.

She returned to find Sidon sitting with her father. She remained outside the chamber and watched from a distance as he held the Zora king’s hand. He was speaking, but she could not make out his words. He rose, and made his way to the corridor where Mipha stood.

"Give me your trident. I wanna do it." There was stubbornness in his voice.

She nodded and guided him down the rough-hewn stone path, back to the glowing pond. He held the trident, longer than he was tall, and dipped the points into the water.

“Ei santo aleti tah- Tah…”

He scrunched his face. He had not learned much of the Old Tongue, even the basic rituals, had never been a scholar, with the sole exception of of accounts of exciting battles.

Mipha moved behind him, placed her hand on the back of his, stilling his trembling, guiding the tip of the trident back into the water. She spoke slowly and let him repeat the words a moment behind her.

_ Ei santo… _

_ aleti ter zo… _

_ cora anuei… _

"Cora anyay…" she heard him finish.

_ Ek sala… _

_ en faras zo enti… _

_ anei ra... _

Her hand on his, they swept the trident in a great arc. Her other hand caught him under his free arm, and she lifted him off the ground as they spun in a circle together, surrounded by the luminous spray of water, a thousand glowing droplets hanging in the air. For a moment, he stared at it in childish wonder, until the last drop had fallen.

"Droplets we are, and to the water we return. Though we may live for centuries, in the eyes of the gods it is as brief as the foam on the waves. So why should a droplet fear falling? We return to something much greater than what we are…"

She spoke the rite in the common Hylian language for Sidon’s benefit, though it lost some nuance in translation, and then concluded in the Old Tongue.

“Ek sala ra, mei nehen…”

_ Accept my prayer… _

"Ek salara, mei ne’en…" Sidon echoed. His fingers were still clenched around the trident that he now held to his chest. Mipha let him keep it for the time being.

A guard approached the entrance of the vast cavern, and she nodded. He marched off and returned with seven others, bearing her father’s body on their shoulders, now wrapped in a dark blue cloth. They waded out into the water, until it was chest-high, and then lowered the body into the water.

From a distance, it was so easy to imagine that it was something else under that cloth, that they would return home from this nightmare to find their father waiting. But instead he sank, the dark fabric like a void against the luminous water. As she watched, he passed below the surface, and the glowing waters met once again, leaving no trace that they had ever been disturbed.

_ Reihe’ zo coreh… _

We return…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's my first attempt at conlang-ing. Though since I wrote this in November, I've kind of forgotten what my logic was but it has mostly sort-of Germanic grammar with some Japanese-like particles. The vocab itself is whatever I thought was aesthetically pleasing, with the exception of "zo" and "ra" being particles to provide a possible explanation for the Zora vocal tic of adding "zora" at the end of sentences (in JP Zelda games).
> 
> My notes have the full funeral rites in Old Zoran:  
>  _Cor anuei e’, reihen zo sanctos li. He’er cihen cori tenehene, sancta tem li entien mifa he. Ra tema, enti anei kere lussen zah? Reihen zo coreh, he’ cora tus mafi..._  
>  "Droplets we are, and to the water we return. Though we may live for centuries, in the eyes of the gods it is as brief as the foam on the waves. So why should a droplet fear falling? We return to something much greater than what we are…"
> 
> "Drop of water" and "soul" are closely related words in Zoran, which is why Mipha thinks it loses something in translation. Also "mifa" is "seafoam/wave crest"... I'm headcanoning that "sidon" might be the word for spear/trident, or the wielder of such a weapon, unless I think of something else...


	7. Interlude: Akkala/Interlude: Silverscale Spear

##  Interlude: Akkala

With a scowl on his face, the once-Rito Champion cast a disapproving eye over his surroundings. He supposed there were worse places to be. The shade of the forest sheltered him, the water to the west and cliffs to the east discouraged passers-by, who stuck to the roads. There was fishing to be done in the lake and game to be caught in the forest. The closest civilization was the Zora, who minded their own business most admirably.

Still, it was dark and muddy and smelled of earth. It could never compare to the skies he longed for. With a sigh, he settled in, and began chipping flint over the wood he had gathered. The ground was still damp from a recent shower, and it had been hard to find good kindling. The fire smoldered and produced voluminous black smoke before finally catching. He coughed, trying to dislodge the itch from his throat.

The forests around Hyrule Castle had been too well trafficked by villagers and townspeople foraging for extra food to replace what had been destroyed in the Calamity for him to remain there, and he was loathe to head west to Tabantha or Hebra and risk encountering his own kind. And so he had made his way northeast. But what a cost he had paid to arrive here! Sitting in the damp, chill evening, with his pitiful fire, the effort hardly seemed worth it.

There was a strange plant in the center of the forest, large and bulbous. Something like a groan sounded from inside it. He tilted his head, but didn’t hear the noise again. It was an ugly plant and he disliked it. He disliked everything here.

With a sigh, he reached out a clawed foot for a sharpened stick, on which was impaled a sizeable fish and some mushrooms. He leaned back and held it over the fire, letting the flames lick the skin and wilt the mushrooms. The fat in the fish sizzled and the skin appeared to be crisping up quite nicely when there was a spit of water from the sky, then a drop, then a downpour. The fire sputtered and went out. He muttered some Rito words about its mother’s tail feathers.

He gave a shake and the water rolled off his feathers and onto the ground. With a noise of resignation, he grasped his undercooked meal in his beak and retreated to the nearest broad tree to weather the storm.

##  Interlude: Silverscale Spear

Bazz made his way up the waterfall into the East Lake Reservoir, the water gleaming on his dark skin. Though it would be another decade or so before he would be able to join the Zora Guard, even as a cadet, there was no way he was going to remain idle when his Domain had been attacked.

He shot out of the top of the waterfall like an arrow fired from a bow, and arced into the deep waters of the reservoir, barely making a splash as he pierced the surface. Behind him, there was a flash of pink as Gaddison followed. Rivan was the last to make it.

"Slow!" he yelled back mockingly. "You’ll need to do better than that if you want to join the guard with the rest of us!"

The green Zora made a face. "You guys are bigger than me. And you know I’m working on my waterfall climbing!"

"Yeah? Well, keep working on it!… Come on, you can see everything from that ridge."

With a flick of their bodies, the young Zora made their way over to the far ridge. The sun was making its way westward, and illuminating the kingdom that spread out before them. The Lanayru Wetlands glimmered like veins of silver and gold, and Hyrule Castle shone like a white pearl. Beyond that…

"I heard the murderer used a Lynel bow." Rivan spoke as though asking a question.

"Of course it was. There’s no other weapon that can fire that many arrows at a time."

"What about Rito weapons?"

"Nah. They’re fast, but they can’t do five at once.” Gaddison’s tone was dismissive.

Bazz squinted into the distance. There was too much glare for him to make out the towering pillar of stone that marked the Rito village, but he knew it was there.

“Did you hear they found a Rito bow on that dead Lynel?”

“I was gonna ask Link about that, but I’ve barely seen him. Think it's true?”

“Dunno. People are saying a lot of things… I just… don’t know what to think...”

Bazz turned back to face the others with a grin.

“Well then. The Bazz Brigade will just have to find out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will stop tormenting Revali eventually... promise
> 
> Actual chapter update tomorrow


	8. Chapter Five

Zelda stared over the railing, the vastness of the Domain beneath her. It was still ceaselessly beautiful, and yet, the peace she had felt until the previous day had been shattered. The mood of the city was subdued and solemn. She had a feeling it would take a long time to return to the way that it had been.

Link was still by her side, and though she was currently thankful for it, she was also acutely aware that he was not going to take his eyes off her for weeks. She worried if the vigilance ever took a toll on him, if he ever felt it wearing him away inside. Once she had got close to him, she had realized how cheerful and fun-loving he was, underneath his knightly persona. She could not bear it if, through battle after battle, that part of him slipped away and was lost forever.

Something was tugging inside of her, a physical pull like a thread attached to the back of her breastbone. She had been feeling it since opening the gates of her power just a little during the meeting with the Zora elders. She wondered if the goddess was calling her now. A small and vindictive part of herself wanted to brush it aside, to make the goddess wait, like she herself had done for so many years. The larger and better part of herself told her, in no uncertain terms, that deliberately antagonizing the deity she drew her powers from was an extremely bad idea.

“Link…”

He rose from where he was leaning on the railing, and turned to face her.

“I want to… no, that’s a lie… I don’t want to, but it may be necessary for me to consult Hylia directly. I don’t know what that will look like… or what will happen, so… Can we go somewhere private?”

Two days ago, he might have made an impish comment about her request to be alone with him. But today he just looked tired from his night-long vigil. Though he was silent and stoic, she felt a keen sense of sorrow from him. He had taken this as hard as anyone save Mipha and Sidon, and she suspected he might be blaming himself.

He considered her request. “I’ll take you if you want to go… but, the memorial for Mipha’s father will be soon. I… I think we should be there. Unless the goddess cannot wait?”

She stood for a moment, sent her thoughts to the sky. The tugging in her chest faded a little, and she felt she had been understood. She would commune with Hylia tonight, when the ritual was over.

* * *

 

Though it was still mostly daylight, the sun had begun to slip below the ridges and peaks that surrounded Zora’s Domain. Beads of light like fires flickered on the western ridge as they shrank. In the east, clouds had begun to gather, illuminated a vivid red in the fading light. It was at this time when Mipha emerged from the palace, followed by Sidon. Though the Zora child usually insisted upon being treated as an adult, now he was holding his older sister’s hand without complaint, his cheeks still wet with tears.

"Follow me," said Mipha, her face and voice solemn.

The plaza in the center of the Domain was impossibly crowded, yet somehow a path opened for Mipha and Sidon. Zelda and Link followed a short distance behind. Though they wanted to be there for Mipha and Sidon, they also did not want to distract from the memorial. Sidon and Mipha made their way onto a raised platform, while Link, holding Zelda’s hand, found them a hopefully inconspicuous place near the front of the crowd. Mipha began to speak.

"My people... My father, King Dorephan, has returned to the depths of the water. Though his presence will be deeply missed, grieve not, for our ancestors are always with us, in the rain that falls and the rivers that flow. They provide us with life, they guide us, and they will be there when, someday, we rejoin them."

She took a breath as if to continue, but it was Sidon who spoke next, in an uncharacteristically formal tone.

"Therefore, should you wish to make an offering to my father, and our ancestors, offer it now to the river. They will accept your tribute."

The crowd moved to the railings that overlooked the water, some merely taking a moment to pray, others dropping offerings such as bouquets of aquatic flowers, amulets carved from gemstones and coral, and occasionally ornate silver knives or spearheads. Somehow they flowed in a slow but orderly manner, each one taking their moment beside the water and then making way for the next person. Soon, the surface of the water directly under the railing was almost covered with flowers that had snagged on stone columns and rocks instead of washing away.

"Well, this may explain the strange proliferation of corroded weapons in Lake Hylia," murmured Zelda as she observed an elderly Zora and his wife hefting an entire longsword over the railing. She squeezed Link’s hand, and he squeezed back. Though the crowd was orderly, it would take some time for them all to circulate. They stood and waited patiently, the skies above darkening with surprising quickness due to the clouds that had swept in. The breeze had picked up too, and Zelda began to feel the cold in her ears and fingertips. Link reached within his tunic, and pulled out a small and simple blade, a single sapphire laid into the hilt. The blade had a rounded profile, like a feather or elongated scale, and the edges were unsharpened.  _ Made of silver, probably too soft to keep an edge _ , she thought. _ An amulet, not a weapon _ . He moved to the railing and held it over the edge.

"Wait," she said.

He withdrew his arm and she gently pried open his hand.

"I have no offering to make. Would you mind if I blessed yours?"

He nodded his assent and she held her palm over the little knife in his. The blade was a mere few inches, more a letter opener than anything else. She carefully opened just a little the door that divided her from the goddess. Golden light escaped from between their hands and fingers, and when she withdrew her arm, the silver blade was etched with golden ripples that gave off a faint light.

She didn’t know if she had merely decorated the blade or inadvertently given it some kind of power, and hoped that it would stay put in the silt at the bottom of Zora’s Domain. Link put an arm around her and pulled her close as he dropped the blade, and they watched it fall, sparkling, into the water.

They stood there together for a moment, as the same light rain that so often misted the Zora’s Domain began to fall again. Zelda found herself grateful for the warmth of Link’s body beside hers. They looked up to where Mipha stood and found her also looking up into the sky, raindrops mingling with the tears on her face. There was something fantastic about the rain in the half-light, something just a little eerie. Perhaps the ancestors of the Zora truly were present here and now. Sidon clung to Mipha’s side, hiding his face. The Zora princess reached out an arm towards the sky.

Everyone in the crowd shifted at once, as though they had all felt the same impulse. The water drops that settled on their skin carried an odd hint of warmth, and like a reflection, a gentle warmth sparked inside them. Zelda had the strange sensation of an emotion that was not hers layered on top of her own, something she could accept or push away as she saw fit. She let it in, let it warm under her skin. Hope. That was the wordless message that Mipha was trying to convey to her people. The desire to make a great future, keep the domain safe, peaceful and happy, to build that peace in her father’s name, because… her father…

_ Because my father would have wanted it.  _

_ My father... _

Something was wrong, Zelda could feel it. Her chest tightened with a feeling that was invading her. The crowd let out a collective moan, a wordless sound of grief. She heard Link take a sharp breath next to her, felt him shudder. A great hollowness seemed to scoop out her insides, she realized the wailing she heard now was her own. Her head filled unwillingly with images she had tried to forget, her father lying on the floor of the castle and the great, charred wound on his body, her mother sleeping, sleeping on the stone floor, sleeping and not waking up, even when she was in the wooden box all the people cried and lay flowers around her, she continued to sleep, and no one would tell Zelda when she would wake up. She clenched her fists and shook her head, bidding,  _ begging _ the images to fade. The chorus of cries around her was almost unbearable, she felt ready to scream and-

The feeling stopped, as if a thread had been severed.

She looked at Link, who stared back at her with haunted eyes. She spun to look at Mipha, who was still standing on the platform, staring down at her own hands in shock. She didn’t even react when Sidon let out a cry, still clinging to her.

The crowd seemed to have slowly regained their senses, and looked up at their new regent, who was staring like a frightened animal.

“We’re going,” Link said with a sudden sharpness, and tugged on Zelda’s hand. She followed him, and they made their way to Mipha and Sidon. Link took Mipha’s hand and began to lead her, the crowd parted for them and she followed without protest. Zelda kneeled down before Sidon, and offered her hand. He took it, and they followed Link and Mipha back to the palace.

The last light had faded from the sky, and only the sound of the rain remained.

* * *

 

They returned to the safehold beneath the palace in Zora’s Domain. Mipha was still sobbing quietly, and Sidon was silent in his confusion. Link’s expression was grave.

When they reached the room where they had previously stayed, Link led Mipha back to the couch, and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. Zelda led Sidon to another room with a cot for sleeping.

"I’m hungry," he complained listlessly.

"I’ll get the guards to bring you something. It must have been a tough day for you. You’ve been very brave." She gave him her best "messenger of the goddess" smile.

"Yeah," he muttered, though it was unclear what exactly he was agreeing with.

Argent and Ichthus reached the room shortly, and Zelda instructed them to take care of the young prince. They nodded in agreement, and the blue Zora set off to retrieve dinner, while the silver one knelt by Sidon’s side. He would be a more familiar presence than Zelda was, she just hoped he was good with children. As she left, she heard them begin to discuss Argent’s trident and if he’d ever "speared a Bokoblin right in the guts". It seemed Sidon would be okay, for now.

She returned to the sitting room and joined Mipha and Link. Link shot her a worried look. Mipha was sitting curled up, with her arms around her knees. She had fallen silent for now.

"Mipha…” he said cautiously, "What just happened?"

"I don’t know! I… I tried to use my healing power- it can make people feel better, a little- but I- I did something I don’t know what and it was wrong! I thought about my… my father, and then everything… everything just…"

She trailed off, lost.

Zelda soothed her, "You just pushed yourself a little too hard, that’s all. You’ve had a very hard time, you don’t need to worry about keeping everyone else’s spirits up… We’re here for you now. Let us help."

"That’s not it! If it was just a mistake, then perhaps I could let it go, but… my power isn’t supposed to work like this, it never has! It can only heal, never hurt! How could this… how can I trust it again?"

She rested her forehead against her knees hiding her face.

“I lost myself for a moment there, lost control. When I started to feel bad, so did everyone else and it echoed back to me and back to them, like a loop, feeding on itself, stronger and stronger, until… it was like a scream. An endless scream. I’ve… never felt anything like it. I never want to again.”

She looked up, “How bad was it? Don’t lie to me… I was there. What did you feel?”

Zelda hesitated, then decided to go with brutal honesty.

“I saw my parents. Both of them. How they died. I… didn’t even think I had the memory of my mother’s death that clearly. But I was there again, like it was real.”

Mipha looked as though she had been slapped. But she gave Zelda a pained smile.

“Thank you. And… I’m so sorry…”

Zelda shook her head, “It was only a moment. And it is over now. The past may be painful, but it is made up of things that I have already survived.”

Link was looking even less inclined to speak than usual. But at length, he offered his thoughts.

“Most of what I saw… didn’t make sense. I was alone and scared and fighting something much bigger than I was, something that kept coming for me. Everything around me kept changing, I kept changing, but it kept coming. And it killed me. It killed everyone. And then I was fighting it again… it didn’t make any sense. I’m… not explaining it well. It was like a bad dream.”

“I see,” Mipha looked up at him, “I’m really sorry. I’ve made such an awful mistake.”

Link shook his head, “You didn’t mean to. It was just a feeling, a bad dream. It wasn’t _good_ , but I think everyone will be fine.”

Zelda spoke again, “People in crowds often experience unusual emotional states, particularly during times of grief or panic. I think once the memories fade, everyone will write it off as a strange moment. You have done no permanent harm.”

She paused, “That said, I think you should avoid that particular use of your power, at least for the time being.”

Mipha nodded, “I really shouldn’t have. I just… wanted things to be better…”

Link cleared his throat, “Zelda, are you still intending to try contacting Hylia?”

She nodded, though her body was suddenly tense.

“I… she wanted to talk to me. At least that’s what I felt. So I should answer her. Perhaps she knows something about what is happening, why we are marked with the Triforce. It feels a little strange to do it in a living room, though.”

Mipha indicated the way, a path further into the little network of rooms, that led to a minor cavern of luminous stone and a pool of water. Though there was no statue of the goddess here, it felt like the right kind of place for a ritual, and Zelda had learned that mindset was half of the battle. The floor was sandy, she dropped to her knees and traced a circle around herself with her fingertips. Then she inscribed a Triforce within the circle, standing within the center triangle. It was crude, but it would do. She clasped her hands in prayer, opened her mind and the response was instant.

The circle filled with golden light, surrounding her and cutting her off from the outside world. She squinted, featureless light in every direction, until she spotted a figure approaching. As the figure gained a clearer form, it became clear that it was young and female, with golden hair, but other than that it was bafflingly inconsistent, shifting from one moment to the next, a face of indescribability.

“Mother Hylia, I…”

There was a childish giggle.

“What’s with the formality? I’m  _ you _ , silly!”

She now appeared as a girl with blunt bangs, in a simple white dress.

“Zelda, how you forget who you are! Though it was my own choice, our choice, to wear this human form, how often you are surprised by it!”

“Forgive me,” said Zelda dryly, “I don’t recall being given a choice.”

“Well, it has been tens of thousands of years. It would be unhealthy for a mortal to remember everything… So I live both within and out of you, carrying millennia of recollections… Sometimes you don’t even remember I exist outside of the sealing power…”

Her face had changed again, she was older now, hair pulled back off her face.

“But that’s okay. I made a single wish, long ago… to always protect this land and its people. The evil that assaults us is eternal, but so is the will to fight.”

She lay a hand on Zelda’s cheek, pausing in consideration. Her ever-changing face became childish again.

“Hmm… so my chosen hero is well, with Fi by his side… I am glad of it.” 

“Fi?” Zelda asked, but her question went ignored.

The goddess gave a slightly sad smile.

“If you remember this conversation, tell him I’m sorry. Sorry that he always has to fight. I’ve told him before, but he doesn’t remember.”

"I will," she promised, "But that is not why you called me here, is it?"

The goddess looked regal, taller. "No, it is not."

She glowed even brighter. "This is not the first time that we have held the Triforce of Wisdom, nor he the Triforce of Courage. There have been cycles where the triforce has been whole, held by either you or him, and cycles where the Triforce of Power has been a tool of evil. But this is a first."

She continued, "The golden goddesses are above me and their will is often opaque, even to me. Din, in particular, thrives in upheaval, the destruction that is required for new creation. I have long suspected that is why the Triforce of Power so often finds its way into the hands of those aligned with chaos… Yet she is not malicious, and neither does she wish for the world she built to be utterly destroyed. This time, her power is in the hands of a healer. It will certainly be a great force for creation and life."

Zelda, who had been feeling a little concerned by Hylia’s description of Din, allowed herself to relax a little. "That’s reassuring."

"It is not," Hylia responded bluntly, taking on the visage of a war-weary queen, before the light flickered across her face once more. "While I cannot say for certain, I suspect the power was given because something worse is to come. Something that will require all of the Triforces to be aligned on the side of good. Something that will do so much damage that only a restorative power, augmented by the gods, will be enough to ensure the survival of this land."

Zelda stood, staring blankly. She had given up almost all of her life until this point, just to defeat the Calamity, and now she was being told that she was not free. That the worst was yet to come. The cold, paralyzing rage seeped into her again, stifled feelings of wanting to face down someone, anyone, she could blame for her misery and tear into them tooth and nail.

She had thought, once, that she wanted to confront Hylia in that way, but the fight left her. She could feel the connection between them. Hylia was not merely a kindred spirit, another soul left to struggle alone against an impossible foe, she was, in some inexplicable way, Zelda herself. Zelda knew well from her younger days what it was like to strike a mirror, the only possible result was drawing your own blood.

The goddess had bangs again, she noticed, and stood a little shorter than Zelda herself. Yet the hug that she gave to Zelda was deeply maternal, infused with an air of calmness and wisdom. Zelda thought of her mother, and the tears began to fall.

“Shhh,” soothed Hylia, “I told you. We made a promise long ago, to protect this land. And so Hyrule has survived for millennia. We have not failed. We have survived. We have passed down this ember of divinity, our power, mother to daughter, for countless generations. The light of a new day always comes. We are the dawn.”

“Will I ever be able to be happy?” The words spilled from Zelda’s mouth before she could stop herself.

“Of course you will. I have lived hundreds of lives, and I am happy for each of them. There was always pain, always difficulty, but there are no lives I regret. My chosen hero remains by your side, does he not?”

“He does,” she agreed, smiling despite herself at the thought of Link.

“Keep him there. He wanders off… sometimes. But he always finds his way back to us eventually.”

The goddess beamed, and for a moment, Zelda had a strange recollection of a boy, a boy with blue eyes and yellow hair and a green tunic, so familiar and yet so hard to place. Like Hylia herself, his face seemed to change and become harder to define the more she tried to focus on it. In the end, she just let the memory sweep over her like a wave, an aching longing for the past.

“And the other one…”

Hylia gave a playful smile before continuing.

“You surprised me a little there. The lifetimes in which I take a female lover are comparatively rare. I think this is the first time I’ve been married to two people at once! I’m looking forward to it, actually.”

“That sounds oddly voyueristic,” Zelda muttered.

“Don’t be shy! She’s a sweet girl. And you’ll need her with you, in the days ahead…”

“Hylia… what is coming? Can you tell me what’s going on? Why were the Zora attacked?”

Hylia shook her head, “I can’t answer that. My view of the time ahead is hazy and incomplete, and centers around my nemesis. If he is not directly involved, I cannot see in any detail. Anything I say may distort the timeline, or lead you down the wrong path. Be cautious, my Zelda.”

She turned with a flourish, now looking a little older than Zelda herself, hair held back by a tiara. A bow like a golden crescent shone in her hands.

“Which brings me to my parting gift. This is the bow of light. You will find you remember how to use it. The arrows that you form with our power are a formidable weapon, particularly against anything touched by the darkness. Use it wisely.”

Hylia’s glowing figure began to fade and merge with the rest of the light.

“I have told you all I can… Seek out again the sacred springs… perhaps you and your friends will be blessed enough to hear the voices of the golden goddesses…”

Everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was Chapter 5 and 6 in my draft but I merged them because Chapter 5 seemed a bit short on its own and both were Zelda POV chapters anyway. Onwards!


	9. Chapter Six

Link paced and fidgeted anxiously, as he had been doing from the moment Zelda encased herself in the golden crystal. He was aware of Mipha’s eyes on him, though she said nothing. He tried to calm himself. It would not do if he caused Mipha to feel the need to comfort him now, when she was in such deep turmoil herself. She had lowered herself to sit on the ground, chin on her knees, caring nothing about the dirt underneath her. Finally accepting he had no choice but to wait for Zelda, he plopped himself down in the dried silt next to her.

"Are you holding up alright?" he asked.

"As well as can be said, I suppose. Which is to say everything is terrible, but not immediately unbearable." The hollowness in her voice hurt to hear.

"Want a hug?" The question echoed somewhat stupidly in his own ears and he cringed internally, but he didn’t want to touch her unexpectedly while she was upset.

She turned to look at him, "I think I would."

He pulled her close then, and they both sat in the warm glow of the crystal. He squinted, but he could not make out Zelda within. He told himself that she was with Hylia, that she was probably safer there than anywhere else. Still, his fingers drummed restlessly against his leg, his other arm around Mipha’s shoulder, her head resting on his chest. She gave him something to focus on, a feeling that he was perhaps not completely useless at this moment, and that kept him sane.

After an excruciating amount of time, the light from the crystal began to pulse gently, but steadily, building up in intensity, as though something were pushing against the inside. There was a sound like breaking glass, and shards of crystal poured to the ground as Zelda emerged from the chrysalis. She immediately sank to her knees. Link was there in an instant to catch her as she slumped.

"I’m… I’m alright," she murmured with a weak smile, though her eyes were still unfocused. After a moment, she pulled herself into a sitting position. Her hand was clutching a shining bow that seemed to be made of light itself.

They sat there staring at it, the three of them underground in the dirt, for a moment of awkward silence. Mipha spoke.

"So then, what did the goddess say to you? I mean, if it is not a private matter, of course…"

Zelda hesitated, "It’s already hazy… Let me speak now before I forget altogether... I feel like I understand the relationship between her and I a little better, but if you asked me to put it into words…" She shook her head.

"What has become clear is how flawed our view of her was. Oral traditions are so unreliable… I was always praying to the heavens, but that’s not where she is. We aren’t even… separate entities. In some way, we share a soul. Or my soul is an extension of hers… Like I said, it’s not an easy thing to explain."

"What does that mean?" asked Link, "If you’re the goddess…"

"Hylia is not the highest or most powerful deity, merely the one who watches over Hyrule. She said… she promised eons ago to keep us safe, and so her spark of power has been passed down for generations, through my family. But she herself doesn’t know everything, and her influence is limited. My knowledge and power is restricted further… something to do with the limits of a mortal body."

Zelda looked down as if she were examining her own arms, the pale skin of her hands and the glowing Triforce mark. She looked at the golden bow, and held it up for Link to inspect.

"She said I’d remember how to use this, but no images are coming to mind. Perhaps I need to do some target practice."

Link narrowed his eyes. He was beginning to have an ominous feeling.

"And did the goddess explain, by any chance, why she gave you a _weapon?_ Zelda, goddesses, if it’s just a gift or a token, please tell me now."

Zelda shook her head and his heart sank into his guts, "She… she thinks something bad is happening. Really bad." She tugged at her own sleeves, face miserable. "We would not have been given the Triforce unless a cataclysm was approaching Hyrule. Or so she suspects."

Link groaned, and leaned back onto his hands. “I was afraid of that. Since the battle with Ganon, there has been a little voice in my head, telling me not to get too relaxed, not to get too happy. I thought it was just paranoia.” He sighed deeply, feeling as though there was a weight pressing on his chest. “I’ve never been less happy to be right about something.”

Zelda kneeled before him, placing a hand over his. “The goddess had a message for you. She said she was sorry that you had to fight every time…”

His eyes widened as he recalled the vision he’d had under the influence of Mipha’s power. _It was real. I_ have _fought him before._ And then a second feeling welled up inside him, a deep resolve. _I’ll live that nightmare as many times as it takes, if it will keep everyone safe._ And the echoes in his mind told him that he would, because he had done so before.

“So, what do we do?” Mipha broke her long silence, hesitantly.

"Hylia suggested that we revisit the Springs of Courage, Wisdom and Power. Not to invoke her, but to try and contact the golden goddesses, the ones who have marked us with the Triforce."

Mipha made a choking sound that pained him.

“I can’t leave Sidon!” She looked from Zelda to Link and he saw the desperation in her eyes, “Don’t tell me I have to. I can’t do that. I can’t.”

Zelda pulled her close, let the Zora cry into her chest. “I won’t make you. We can stay as long as you need. But you are the anomaly here. It is not unusual for the princess or the wielder of the sacred blade to hold one or more pieces of the Triforce, not unusual for Ganon to claim one for himself… But you... She said your power would be needed, that it might save the world…”

“Curse your goddess,” Mipha sobbed, and Zelda, too, gave a hollow laugh.

“Believe me, I know the feeling.”

* * *

 

After some discussion, they decided that Mipha would remain in the domain for the time being, establishing Sidon and herself in their new roles as king and queen regnant, while Link and Zelda made another trip to the Spring of Wisdom on Mount Lanayru to see what could be found there.

Link recalled the bitter cold the last time they had been there, the wind that had sliced into their skin like knives even against the hottest of warming potions, and suggested they detour to Kakariko first and see if any Rito-made clothing could be found there. Just about anything could be found in Kakariko, for the right price and provided you didn’t ask too many questions about the chain of ownership. Zelda agreed. She didn’t have to wear the white dress of Hylia’s spirit maiden this time, and she was quite adamant about never doing so on Mount Lanayru again.

They talked at length, and eventually the hour grew late. Link rose to his feet and offered a hand to each of the queens, guiding them back to the largest room in the underground complex, falling into the well-trained, cat like steps of a personal guard, eyes and ears at full attention. He led them to the large bed, big enough for the three of them. Mipha lay down first, and he crouched beside the bed at her eye level, stroking her head fins and whispering to her.

“Rest. We’ll figure this out. I love you.”

She moved and kissed him, fingers running through his hair.

“Love you too.”

She lay her head down and closed her eyes, though he could tell she was not asleep. He moved to help Zelda with the fastenings on her clothing, his hands touching her body perhaps somewhat more than strictly necessary. Standing behind her, he slid his arms around her waist, and buried his face into the curve joining her neck and shoulder. She leaned back into him, and he kissed the nape of her neck, enjoying the little squirm she gave when he applied just a little suction to the skin. He breathed in her scent.

“Love you, Zelda” he murmured into her hair. She turned and kissed him deeply in response.

She moved to the bed, checking on Mipha but apparently deciding not to disturb her, and gently eased herself down beside the Zora. Link shucked off his sword and anything else that was unpleasantly hard or pointy to lay on, and set them down beside the bed, before taking his own place on the mattress.

Two days of accumulated fatigue hit him at once, and his consciousness faded before he knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 4:30am and my sleep schedule is screwed wheee~
> 
> Uh... I don't really have much to add here. I guess this is the point in rereading/reviewing the story where I start to wonder if I know what I'm doing or not. But 4:30am is not a good time to try and think about these things because it's also "lie awake and convince yourself everything is terrible" o'clock... at least in my brain


	10. Chapter Seven

Mipha found herself in a strange city.

The shadows were sharp and pointed, the light seemed poised like blades to cut. Everything was colored in black, white and shades of grey.

There was a bridge before her, looking like the entrance to her hometown. In the strange twilight she ran, searching for her family. But the bridge soon twisted and turned, far longer than she remembered it, and eventually it became a narrow, spiralling path. She could not stop running, her momentum kept her plunging forward and downward. The bridge, or what was left of it, had railings, with ornate and razor sharp points that she shied away from in fear. As the path narrowed, the railings disappeared, along with the shades of grey, leaving her walking on the knife’s edge of a beam of light, darkness all around her.

She looked down to find the glowing white was bone, like the spine of some vast and ancient creature. As she watched, it crumbled beneath her feet. Glowing shards of bone were the only light as she fell, illuminating the monstrous teeth and gaping maw of-

She awoke, gasping for breath. Underground again, with the same disorienting loss of time perception from the ever-glowing stones. Link and Zelda were still asleep, perhaps it was early. She fixed her trident to her back.

As she made to leave the room, she realized Sidon was awake and watching her, leaning on the doorframe with a hesitant expression.

“Good morning, Sid,” she said with affection.

“Mimi,” he murmured, and ran to her, hugging her around the waist. She patted the back of his head.

“How are you holding up? I know it’s hard right now. So we have to talk to each other, you know?”

“Argent’s gonna teach me how to fight.”

“Argent… what? I told him to make sure you got some sleep!” She was flustered.

“Mimi, I know you’re worried ‘bout me, but I think knowing how to fight is safer than  _ not _ knowing, y’know?” He wrinkled his nose. “Argent agrees with me.”

“That’s very well for Argent… but…” She paused in thought. “I’m not happy about this. Not happy about any of it. You shouldn’t have to be a king, shouldn’t have to fight, shouldn’t have to experience any of this! I wanted to keep you safe.” She paused to wipe away a tear.

“Alright,” she breathed, “I can’t argue with the logic of it. Argent is a fine warrior and I’m sure he’ll be a good teacher. Just remember, the best way to survive a fight is to avoid it in the first place. Do not become eager for battle.”

“Of course not,” Sidon blatantly lied. They both knew he was  _ already _ eager for a battle, and Mipha just prayed that Argent could knock some sense, or at least caution into him.

“I’m gonna find them.” Sidon said suddenly. “I’m gonna find whoever… whoever did that to Dad, and I’m gonna…”

“Sidon!” Mipha said sharply, unable to keep the edge from her voice, “Have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying? This fight is not for you! For goodness sake, won’t you have enough to do as the new king?”

“Not if you’re gonna do it all  _ for _ me,” he scowled. He was glaring up at her now.

“Tell me, Mipha,” and it was  _ Mipha _ now and not  _ Mimi _ , spoken through clenched shark teeth, “Tell me you don’t want to find them. Tell me you don’t want to kill them. Tell me you wouldn’t want to if you were me. Tell me you’d sit quietly and let everyone say you’re too young, let everyone feel sorry for you and-”

“Sidon,” she said again, more softly. She knelt and put her arms around him. He resisted for a moment before allowing her to pull him close.

“I can’t tell you any of that. I… I promised Father, too, that I’d find them... But just because you want to do something doesn’t always mean you can or should. I’ll… I’ll try my best to not treat you as a child. But being an adult, being a king, means that you can’t live according to your own personal feelings. Do you understand?”

Sidon’s shoulders slumped

“Yeah,” he replied dejectedly, “It sucks. Everything sucks.”

“It sucks,” agreed Mipha, borrowing his use of slang. She rose to her feet and took him by the hand. “Now, come on. Let’s go before we wake the others.”

* * *

 

They stood together before the palace, overlooking the city as the first rays of sun crested over the mountains and reflected white off the crystal roofs and bridges. The air was still chill, but gradually warming in the sunshine. The new king was uncharacteristically solemn as he beheld his realm.

“It’s a great place, isn’t it?”

“It is. The greatest in Hyrule,” Mipha replied. She had travelled enough to feel qualified saying it, though she was perhaps also a little biased.

“I’ve gotta keep it safe. No one here is going to get hurt, not while I’m king. You’re gonna help me, right, Mipha?”

“Of course.” She did not mention the conversation that she had had with Link and Zelda, the fact that some unspeakable horror may be approaching them, and that she would soon have to leave him for the Spring of Power, in the hopes of finding a single clue of how to avert it. She would not burden him with that, not while there was so much on his young shoulders already. It weighed heavy on her heart, the uncertainty. Hylia reportedly thought that her power would be instrumental in saving Hyrule. And yet, the last time she had used it… 

She winced at the memory. How long would it be, she wondered, before she could use her power again without fear? The recollection was like an open wound in her mind, one that she avoided touching on.

Sidon was moving now, running towards the throne room, the place where his father had sat, and she followed. He hesitated a little as he looked up at the towering seat and placed a tiny hand on the cool stone. With resolution on his face, he sat, dwarfed by the sheer size of the throne. There was room to spare, so Mipha cautiously placed herself next to him. She found it strange to think about, that one day Sidon would be as tall as her, even taller, perhaps even as big as their father. It was hard to picture. He would always be a child to her. For now, he was still a boy, in a position that was far too great for him.

Their advisors began to file in soon after. They reported on matters of varying importance, occasionally requiring Mipha to make a decision or give their plans official approval. She allowed Sidon to give his opinion when he had one, and tried to take it into account when making her final judgement. Truth be told, very little of it was of great importance. Mipha wondered if they were simply easing the new leaders into their roles, or if being a ruler really was this banal most of the time. She had not paid much attention as a child, and had been busy as a teenager with schooling, combat training and, later, her duties as champion. She watched as Sidon carefully sealed a royal order with red wax.

Servants brought them fresh fish for breakfast, and later, watercress salad and crab for lunch. They took a break in the afternoon, as Sidon became fidgety, and went swimming in the river, chasing one another up waterfalls and competing over how high they could leap. They returned to the palace, where Mipha made more decisions while Sidon drifted off to sleep on his throne. As she poured over a document regarding luminous stone grades and preparation for export, she began to envy him. It was rather dry reading.

Finally, as the sun began to lower in the sky, the advisors announced that they were finished for the day. Two of the royal guards, Argent and Ichthus approached.

“King Sidon,” they said as they kneeled, “It is time for your training.”

Sidon jumped off the throne with an energy he hadn’t exhibited all day, “Finally! Let’s go, guys!”

Argent wilted slightly before the piercing look that Mipha was giving him.

“Prin- Queen Mipha… I promise that no harm will come to him. I merely wish to teach him the art of self-defense.”

“Proceed,” she answered, “I will allow this, for the time being, as long as it has no negative influence on Sidon.”

“I swear it. He won’t lose so much as a scale.” The silver Zora bowed deeply.

Mipha nodded, and watched the three of them as they left the throne room. 

* * *

 

She returned to the underground rooms where Link and Zelda were staying, and found them making preparations to leave the following morning. A pang of loneliness filled her, she would miss them dearly while they were gone. They paused as she entered, and exchanged glances, the same emotion written on their faces.

“Mipha…” breathed Zelda. She embraced the Zora queen, placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her. When she pulled away Mipha noticed Link watching slightly slack-jawed, his preparations momentarily forgotten. He blushed when she glanced at him. Smiling genuinely for the first time in days, she made her way to him and gave him a kiss, his hand found the back of her neck and he pulled her closer. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, brushing his hair away from his face.

“You always make me feel... like everything will be okay,” she murmured, only half-conscious of what she was saying. He leaned forward and she felt his forehead against her own.

But the moment couldn’t last. Hesitantly, he turned back to his things, and she took a place on the end of the bed, quietly seated. Her chest was heavy as she watched them prepare for their journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of this chapter was originally a bit more intimate but I deleted/rewrote that because, even as a coping mechanism, it seemed a bit jarring when Mipha's dad has been dead for like 2-3 days... I guess the relationship building is on hold for a while, though I might reinsert the scene later on...
> 
> One of the challenges of writing this fic is that it's happening over a fairly short time span, during which the characters should logically be still grieving. However, even if they're realistic, crying sessions that don't progress the plot will probably become repetitive to the reader and slow down the action. I'm hoping to imply through their actions onscreen that Mipha, Sidon and Zelda are all very much affected by what has happened, even if they're putting on a brave face most of the time. Writing realistic angst is always a bit of a tightrope walk.


	11. Interlude: Ancient Gear

Shikwasa’s footsteps tapped over the rooftop in the half-light. The sun was soon to rise, and the holes and pitfalls in damaged buildings required a keen eye in the gloom. She came to an alleyway and leapt easily across the gap between the buildings, but upon her landing, a roof tile slipped from under her. Catching her balance, she watched it fall into the street, breathing a sigh of relief when it fell into mud with a muted thump.

As she approached the castle, there were no buildings for cover, so she pulled her scarf closer around her face. A breeze was picking up as the temperature began to shift, and she brushed strands of silver hair from her eyes. Then she approached the castle.

Purah was waiting, seemingly unimpressed.

“You’re here on official business. There’s no need for stealth, Shiek.”

Shikwasa gave her a sour look. “I’m practicing, auntie. What good are my skills if I never polish them?”

“You look more suspicious running around rooftops than you would if you simply blended with the crowd. And don’t call me auntie. How old do you think I am?” Purah huffed.

_ Old enough to be no fun, apparently, _ Shikwasa thought, but instead she said, “You have the slate?”

“Of course,” Purah responded, “I’m using it for our Guardian deactivation research. Has the princess requested use of it?”

“No… I just wanted to see it.”

Purah made no move, so Shikwasa moved on to the purpose of her visit.

“I’m here to bring news from Zora’s Domain. I suppose you have heard there was an attack?”

Purah nodded. “The king was assassinated, correct?”

“Yes. The culprit and motive are still unclear. Queen Zelda and Prince Consort Link are safe, as is Princess Mipha- Queen Mipha now. She has taken the Zora throne until her younger brother comes of age.”

“Hmm,” muttered Purah.

“Queen Zelda and Prince Consort Link are planning a journey to Kakariko Village and Mount Lanayru. It seems they are hoping to receive spiritual guidance. I trust that things are running smoothly in their absence?”

“All is well,” answered Purah. “The court was prepared for a two week absence for their honeymoon, and no emergencies have arisen in the meantime. Reconstruction is slowly moving forward. I imagine they will send word if they intend to be gone for longer.”

“Alright.” Shikwasa took a breath. “Then may I ask about the Guardians?”

Purah grinned, “This way, Sheik.”

* * *

 

“I never realised how many of them there were!” Shikwasa gasped, marvelling over the laboratory piled high with Guardians, dimly lit by the glow from the walls and the researcher’s oil lamps. Their eyes were vacant and gave off no light.

“Close to one hundred in the castle alone. Goodness knows how many stored other parts of Hyrule, lost to time. I doubt we’ll ever find them all. We have our work cut out for us.” Purah stood, tapping one foot restlessly.

“Have you found a way to deactivate them?”

“Well, they’re inactive now.” Purah gave a nearby Guardian a kick, there was no response but the hollow clang of metal. “But there are so many redundancies built into these things it’s absurd. The queen has ordered us to find a way to physically immobilize them that can be reversed if necessary. So far, the only way we’ve found requires removing almost all of the main mechanisms. And then the day before yesterday…”

She trailed off. Shikwasa narrowed her eyes.

“Purah. The day before yesterday. What happened?”

“One of them  _ may _ have perhaps... accidentally… exploded.”

“Exploded? Do you think our ancestors meant for that to happen?”

“Maybe they did,” said Purah, resting her head on her chin in contemplation. “It certainly prevents anyone without their level of knowledge reverse-engineering the tech.”

They were interrupted by a shout from the other side of the laboratory. Robbie had arrived, waving his left arm, as the other one was held in a sling. His eyes were covered by a pair of thick goggles.

“Robbie! Are you alright?”

“Marvelous! By my count, we have discovered ninety-six ways not to disarm a Guardian!” His scientific spirit seemed undaunted.

“At least he came out of it better than one he was working on,” scoffed Purah.

“To make an omelette, one must crack a few Cucco eggs…”

“If you say so,” muttered Shikwasa as she took in his collection of bandages. “I must return to Kakariko. Is there anything else you want me to report to Impa?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm running late cause I wanted to work on the anniversary one-shots instead. I'll put the next chapter up later today/early tomorrow.
> 
> Shikwasa (also spelled shikuwasa or shequasar) is a citrus fruit from Okinawa. I liked the idea of fitting "Shiek" in with the BotW fruit-themed names.
> 
> I've put some more thought into how many Guardians actually exist and come to the conclusion there were probably never more than a few hundred of them, most of which are lost now.


	12. Chapter Eight

They rose early and gathered their things, Zelda in her familiar tunic that she wore for travel, then proceeded to the throne room, where Mipha and Sidon were already attending to their royal duties. Some rather old and dusty paperwork had been spread before them by their advisors, and the child looked profoundly bored. There were hints of dark circles under Mipha’s eyes, but she brightened when she saw them.

“You’re up early. Are you both well?”

Link yawned widely in response.

“Awake in body but not in mind, I’m afraid,” Zelda replied for him, “Speak softly, my dear.”

“I’m awake enough to hear you,” he retorted.

Zelda continued without acknowledging that he had spoken. “We’ll take the road through the Lanayru Wetlands to Kakariko, then when we’re prepared, we’ll ascend Mount Lanayru and see if anything happens at the Spring of Wisdom. Successful or not, we’ll return here as soon as we can. It should take about four days, I think, if all goes well. Otherwise… I’ll send a messenger if we are delayed.”

“Very well,” Mipha said, “I just have one favor to ask… Today, a scouting group will leave from the Domain to search for Revali. However, we Zora are not as hardy as Hylians, we cannot tolerate freezing temperatures nor spend long without water. So, as you travel, would you keep an eye out for him?”

“Of course,” said Zelda, “I’m worried for him too. I’ll inform the Sheikah of the search.”

“And if we find him?” Link asked. “If he’s willing to talk to us, then fine, but he disappeared without a word to anyone and hasn’t been seen since. Something’s up with him. He might well fly off again as soon as we find him.”

Mipha’s gaze was downcast.

“I was supposed to keep this a secret, but… Revali can’t fly now. The incarnation of Ganon that he fought severed some of his feathers, he’s hiding until they grow back. He’s ashamed of it. Feathers aren’t living flesh, so I wasn’t able to heal him.”

Zelda was surprised to hear it, but Link gave a rough sigh.

“That… well, at least that makes sense now. It’s a lot better than some of the other explanations I was considering for his behavior.”

“You… you weren’t…”

“It looked pretty bad, Mipha. I didn’t want to think he’d turned against us, but I was prepared for the worst.”

She looked at the floor, “I’m sorry. I would have told you earlier, but he was so desperate to keep it a secret. If you do meet him, don’t let on that you know.”

“I won’t. But again, what if he’s not cooperative? Do we bring him back by force?”

Mipha looked shocked. At the same moment Zelda responded firmly.

“Yes.”

The other two turned to stare at her and she faltered a little, but continued.

“He is one of my Champions, and he is absent without leave. Of course, I don’t want to see him hurt. But his knowledge may be vital to our situation. The Queen of Hyrule orders that he either returns, or be returned to us.”

_ And yes, by force if necessary, _ she thought,  _ Though I hope it doesn’t come to that. The fate of the kingdom may be at stake. _

“Well,” said Link, “I guess that settles that.”

They were all silent for a moment, before Zelda moved to embrace Mipha.

"Goodbye, Mipha. We’ll be back as soon as we can, I promise."

"I’ll be waiting," Mipha murmured into her hair, like a blessing.

Zelda stepped back, and it was Link’s turn to pull Mipha into a tight hug.

"Take care of yourself, Miph." His voice was thick and heavy, as though he had more he would like to say, but could not. He settled for kissing her deeply, to Sidon’s apparent horror. Zelda stifled a giggle at his expression.

With sadness in their eyes, they turned to leave. Zelda felt, as she walked down the ornate and shining bridges that formed the central road of Zora’s Domain, that there was an invisible thread caught inside her, being stretched, tearing at her insides. She dared not look back. Beside her, Link was silent.

Their carriage was waiting for them, along with its driver, at the entrance of the Domain. They would ride in it to the nearest stable and then borrow some horses for the trek up Mount Lanayru. Link helped Zelda into the carriage, then sat by her side. She took his hand and rested it in her lap. The carriage lurched as the horses began to pull, and soon they were swaying down the winding switchback road back in the direction of Hyrule Field.

Eventually the river widened into marshlands. They began to pass over a series of wooden bridges linking the main islands in the marsh. As she looked out the window, Zelda saw trees swaying, then a monstrous, one-eyed head rise over the treetops. She let out a yelp. At the same moment, the carriage jolted to a stop.

Link leaned over Zelda to look out the window.

“Hinox,” he muttered.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“We can lie low until it moves away or goes back to sleep. Or I can fight it.”

She shot him a worried look.

“... I have full confidence that I would win. It would just be time consuming and messy.”

She looked back at the wandering giant, now bending a tall tree to the ground, until the gunshot crack of wood rang out across the forest, and wondered how anyone could look at it and have  _ full confidence. _

“Zelda, there is a village near here, isn’t there? I… We can’t risk it attacking the people. I’d better go.”

“Wait!” She grabbed her bow from where it rested against the door of the carriage, along with the quiver of arrows they had purchased in Zora’s Domain. “If you’re going, so am I.”

His mouth tightened into a thin line.

“I thought you didn’t know how to use it.”

“I… Hylia told me I would know. And I helped you fight the Lynel. I’m not completely defenceless.”

He gave her a stern nod, “I can’t stop you. Just… stay behind me. Please.”

She knew that he worried about her, knew that he wanted more than anything to save her from the battle. But it frustrated her that he couldn’t see she wanted the same thing for him. Her power had only, finally flared up inside her when it came time to protect him, to stop him from dying for her sake. She wondered for a moment, if you had to choose between your own life and your lover’s, was it selflessness or selfishness to make them the one who would live on alone?

Her feet found the ground, the bow clenched in her hand. She peered at it cautiously, willing herself to remember a life when she had fought with it. Link was already moving ahead, treading softly in the grass, and she followed in his footsteps.

They came to the edge of the clearing where the Hinox stood. To their right was a ridge, the edge of a small hill, and Link made a clear gesture for her to go. She would be safer and more effective from a distance and a height, while he engaged the creature in close combat.

_ Assuming I remember how to use this, _ she thought, glancing at the bow again. She was beginning to feel somewhat ridiculous, and hoped that Hylia was not intending to withhold her powers until the last possible moment again.

The Hinox grunted. It had spotted Link, and so there was no longer any need for sneaking. He drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance. The Hinox leaned forward and picked up the broken tree, wielding it like a gigantic club.

Zelda fitted an arrow to the bow and drew the bowstring with unsteady hands. She still did not feel like she had any great skill as an archer, but the position seemed right, on some instinctive level. She aimed for the head, but her shot went wide as the Hinox lunged forward with surprising speed, slamming the tree branch into the ground. Link had leapt, and now landed with cat-like grace just out of range. As the Hinox adjusted its grip on the tree, he sprinted up the trunk, stumbling only slightly as it was raised into the air. He reached the Hinox’s upper arm and thrust his sword into its thick neck. Blood spurted as the Hinox howled and swatted at him, but he had already landed on the ground again, delivering a horizontal slash to the back of its ankle. The giant stumbled, then intentionally threw its weight to the ground, creating a jolt that threw Link off balance.

Zelda lined up her second shot, and the arrow buried itself in the lumpy flesh of the Hinox’s shoulder. Infuriatingly, it seemed to have little effect, she wasn’t even sure if the giant’s senses had registered the attack. Thick and dark colored blood continued to splatter on the ground from its wounds. Link regained his footing, dodging another strike with the fallen tree by the barest of distances. Zelda’s third shot struck home, in the side of the Hinox’s eyeball. It let out a sickening screech and reached up to tear the arrow out.

Then its single great eye, weeping blood, turned to her. Its mouth opened in what looked like a grin, though it may have just been the tusk-like teeth pushing up the corners of its face. The pupil narrowed.

With the beast lumbering towards her, Zelda backed away as she fitted another arrow to the bow. Even limping, it took great strides, it would be on top of her soon- how tall it was! She fired at the great orange eye, and the Hinox swatted the arrow to the ground. She could hear Link running, his footsteps coming towards her, she nocked another arrow, pulled back on the bowstring and-

_ -she was on horseback, her body against Link’s, chasing down the king of darkness as he fled. She took aim and- _

\- golden light flared around the arrowhead, she let it fly, a comet followed by a glowing tail. Her aim was true, it slipped between the Hinox’s fingers into the inky black pupil. A shockwave of light followed. When it faded, the Hinox slumped to its knees, the flesh of its fingers and face simply gone, the empty eyesocket staring at her. Then it fell forward.

The next thing she knew, she was sprawling on the ground as Link pushed her to safety. She looked up at his face, eyes full of worry, and began to laugh in relief. Apparently it was contagious, because he grinned back.

“I guess you know how to use it, then.”

He rose, allowing her to regain her feet too.

“You worried me there.”

“We did this before,” she said.

He paused, mouth slightly open, as if he were taken aback by her choice of words. For a moment he seemed lost in thought.

“That may be so. Well then,  _ my goddess _ , shall we continue on our way?”

She smiled again, and followed him back to the waiting carriage.

* * *

 

Goponga Village was a small settlement in the middle of the wetlands, with stout stone buildings. Zelda did not recall ever visiting before, the route between Castle Town and Zora’s Domain passed further to the north. They stopped to rest and water the horses. Almost immediately, curious villagers began to peer out of windows and around doorframes, and children ran to inspect the carriage and its occupants.

Zelda slid herself off the seat and landed on the paved road. Link was already showing his sheathed sword to a pair of excited boys. She felt a tug on her hand and looked down to see a red haired girl with a long braid.

“Your hands are so soft and your hair is so pretty,” said the girl, touching both with no concerns for etiquette. “You must be a princess.”

Zelda smiled, “Something like that, yes.”

The girl immediately turned to a nearby house and shouted with surprising volume, “She says she’s a princess!”

A woman with a similar red braid, streaked with grey, emerged from the door.

“Ellie, are you bothering the guests? We’ve- Oh. Oh my.”

She dropped to her knees at once.

“Your majesty.”

A slightly older boy had now joined the girl.

“See!” declared Ellie, “I told you she was a princess!”

“Ellie, remember your curtsey! This is her Majesty Queen Zelda! Show some respect!”

Ellie raised her skirts and dipped slightly. “See, I can curtsey.” Her brother bowed beside her.

Zelda shifted on her feet awkwardly.

“There is no need for formality. We are just passing through.”

She thought for a moment, and then added.

“However, I don’t believe I’ve ever visited this village before. If there is anything you need, any message you would like to convey to the castle, I invite you to speak now.”

“Aye,” spoke a broad shouldered man in a rough woollen tunic, “Recently a Hinox has been sighted to the north-west. We don’t have enough fighting men to kill it, and so traders have been avoiding this village in favor of the bridge further north-”

“Is it a blue Hinox, by any chance?” asked Link.

“Aye, but what does that have to do with-”

“She just killed it,” he said flatly, and went back to playing with the children. They were tossing a beanbag into the air now, catching it with their feet and trying to prevent it from hitting the ground.

“She- you- what? Your Majesty, what is he talking about?”

Zelda straightened her back and tried to look assertive.

“He means that the Hinox is dead. We encountered it earlier, and decided to eliminate it before it could become a threat to the village. Link fought it with the sacred blade, and I was able to deal the final blow with an arrow. A lucky shot really,” she added modestly.

“You melted its face off,” Link stated as though that were helpful, kicking the beanbag into the air.

Zelda became aware that the villagers were looking at her with a mixture of awe and horror. She herself shot Link a look of irritation. He beamed back at her with something like pride.

“Er… some of you may know that the women of the royal family carry a holy power, gifted to us by the goddess. It was through this power that the sealing of Calamity Ganon was achieved. Fortunately, I was also able to use it against the Hinox when it charged at me.”

The large man knelt before her.

“If that is true, then you have saved us twice over. Our village is home to you, for as long as you wish.”

She bowed her head. “I thank you deeply for your hospitality, but we are en-route to Kakariko Village. We plan to arrive there this evening, then continue on to Mount Lanayru the next day. First, we would like to rent some horses, though. Could you direct us to the nearest stable?”

“Of course,” replied Ellie’s mother. “If you keep following the road through the village, it will eventually join another road. Turn south, and it will take you toward Kakariko. But if you turn north, there is a stable not too much further along that road. The owner is a good man. I’m sure you’ll find the horses you need there.”

“Thank you.” Zelda bowed her head again. 

The woman looked worried. "You must let us offer something to you as thanks. Please wait here."

She ducked inside her house and returned with an apple pie, recently out of the oven. It was warm in Zelda’s hands, and the delicious scent was a strong reminder that she had not eaten since that morning. Meanwhile the children had brought Link an assortment of steamed buns and were piling them into his arms, their voices overlapping as they all tried to explain what was in them. From what she could catch of the cacophony, most of them had a savory filling of either mutton or waterfowl.

The woman spoke again. "You will need to leave soon to reach both the stable and Kakariko before sundown. Therefore I will not keep you, your majesty. Should you ever pass this way again, my home and kitchen are forever open to you."

Zelda bowed in thanks once more and, pie in her arms, returned to the carriage.

* * *

 

The small village was soon behind them, and as the carriage swayed, Zelda and Link set about devouring the feast they had been gifted. She bit into a bun filled with stewed duck meat, seasoned with black pepper, and found it quite to her liking. Link was already halfway through his.

"What’s that one?" she asked, just to make conversation.

"Mutton and chilli peppers. Good, but whoever makes this must eat coals from the fire. I’m sweating."

"Should have saved that one for Mount Lanayru then," she mused. "I’m not overly fond of spicy food, myself."

"Okay," he said, rearranging the pile of buns on the seat next to him. "I think…" he pointed to a smaller pile of buns he had separated from the others, "these are the spicy ones. Unless I mixed them up."

"I’ll take the risk," she said, and plucked a bun from the larger pile. Fortunately it turned out to be mutton and vegetables. They sat, eating, in comfortable silence for a while. Zelda swallowed, then spoke.

"I must confess, I would like to get to that apple pie before it cools."

Link pulled out a small knife she didn’t even know he had been carrying, and began slicing the pie.

"As you wish."

* * *

 

They arrived at the Wetland Stable full of apple pie. As promised, the owner graciously welcomed them, and led them to the horses.

"These three are property of the royal family," he said, indicating two greys and a solid black horse. Link approached each of the horses, and to Zelda it seemed like some silent communication was happening between them. Eventually he said, "We’ll take these two," indicating the black and the smaller of the two greys. 

The stable owner and workers fitted the horses for riding and led them outside. Link gave Zelda a boost onto the grey, before mounting the black horse. He dug his heels in with a "Hyah!" and his horse began moving in the direction of the road. Zelda gave her horse a gentle kick and it followed obediently.

"Did the owner tell you their names?"

"This is Shadow," he stated, leaning forward to pat the horse on the neck. "Yours is named Lucy."

"Lucy," she repeated, stroking the animal’s neck. Lucy seemed to be a docile and even-tempered creature, perhaps that was why Link had chosen her.

"She looks to be part mountain horse. A bit on the small side, but sure-footed and won’t be too bothered by the cold." His words were reassuring to hear.

"How is Shadow?"

"He’s got some speed in him, I can tell, but I’m going to have to earn his respect before he gives me his full potential. Well, that’s the feeling I get from him." He soothed the horse again.

"I’ve always admired how good you are at this. Perhaps it’s because I was raised with such protocol, but I often find myself feeling there is a glass wall between myself and others. I envy how well you seem to mesh with man and beast alike."

He slowed to let her catch up, then spoke with the strange deliberateness he sometimes used, the one that made her feel he was finally sharing the matters he considered in his long periods of silence. "As with all things, it’s a matter of practice. If you are not used to closeness, then it might feel difficult to reach out with kindness. You might find it easier to be blunt or cold. You might not even realize when the opportunity for kindness presents itself. You must nurture yourself."

She paused, surprised by the idea. Though she had often wished she found it easier to make friends, she had always thought of acts of kindness as nurturing others but inevitably taking away from herself. Back in that time when she had been digging deep into herself for the goddess, for her royal duties, carving away at herself for the benefit of others,she often felt that she had nothing more  _ to _ give. She wondered if this was how Link and Mipha seemed to never empty their wells of generosity, if their kindness just multiplied back in on itself endlessly. Could she learn to do that? Her musings kept her silent as they headed down the road.

Her horse was alongside Link’s now, both animals moving with the same steady paces up a gentle slope. "You taught me about empathy before, when I was having difficulty with horse riding. Did I ever thank you for that?"

"You did," he replied.

"Well, let me thank you again. I feel… like just being with you makes me a better person. I’m truly grateful to have met you." Letting the words out made her heart feel lighter, perhaps this really  _ was _ how kindness worked.

He turned to look at her, and spoke quietly. 

"I could say the same about you, my queen."

* * *

 

They arrived in Kakariko that evening, and were greeted by the village chief, a silver-haired woman perhaps a year or two older than Zelda. The hair from the top and sides of her head was pulled back into an elaborate arrangement of braids and buns, but the remainder hung free, reaching to her hips in a shimmering curtain.

"Impa!" Zelda called as she approached. "It’s been too long! How is everything in the village?"

Impa regarded them with dark and piercing eyes.

"All is well, my queen. The Shiekah stand as always, ready to serve you."

They led their horses to a small wooden structure where they could be stabled for the night, and some of Impa’s servants set about bringing water and fodder for them. Impa led them to the grandest house in the village, her own.

"Come. Take dinner with me. I am sure we have much to discuss."

After a hearty meal of meat-stuffed pumpkins. Zelda began to divulge recent events to the Sheikah chief. She had, of course, heard of the nature and circumstances of the Zora king’s death, but listened intently to Zelda’s eyewitness account with narrowed eyes. She also seemed interested in Zelda’s encounter with Hylia.

"If the goddess ever spoke so directly to the princesses of the past, they said nothing of it," she mused. "Very well. The only choice is to visit the sacred springs as she has directed. But I have some unfortunate news for you. There was a recent series of avalanches on Mount Lanayru, and the route to the top is blocked. Given the dangers of shifting snow and icefalls, and how quickly the temperature can incapacitate, I don’t advise trying to scale it. We are working on excavating the path now, but it will be many days work even if we direct all our efforts toward it."

Zelda looked dismayed.

"I will inform the workers that it is a priority. In the meantime, the Spring of Courage is not so far from here, as the crow flies. Perhaps you can take Link to do some praying of his own. Hah."

"I suppose that is an option," Zelda said. "We will need to inform Mipha of the change to our plans."

"Consider it done. My messengers will be at the Zora’s Domain before you know it."

"Thank you for your service, Impa. Now, I think we should rest so that we may leave early for the Spring of Courage."

"The innkeeper himself is away, but the inn is all yours, your majesty," said Impa, withdrawing a key from within her robes with a sly smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of commentary to give on this chapter right now, though that might just be because I need to sleep.
> 
> I drew a sketch of Sidon as I picture him in this AU over on Tumblr: <https://autumnstwilight.tumblr.com/post/171559245108/>  
> The top of his head is probably roughly the height of Mipha's shoulder, and chest-height on Link and Zelda.


	13. Chapter Nine

It felt somewhat odd to Link to enter an inn with no one present. The lanterns were unlit and the fireplace had cooled. He found some flint and set about remedying the matter before the evening became too cold. Zelda set about testing the beds, bouncing a little as she sat on each.

"The soft ones are on this side," she called to him.

He blew on the kindling that was currently smouldering, and the flames caught, slowly crawling along the larger pieces of wood. He took a poker and rearranged things a little, trying to ensure the fire would not burn too fast or too slow, but provide a steady warmth into the early hours.

He turned to find Zelda already removing her travelling clothes, laying them to air out on one of the beds she had tested and rejected. The firelight was orange on her bare skin, and he stopped to appreciate the sight more fully. Her golden hair cascaded to the small of her back, swaying as she moved. She moved with grace, the curves of her body indescribably perfect. Her green eyes moved to him, and she gave a little smile. It was not hard at all to believe she was a goddess, not when the simple lines of her collarbones and the slight movement of her chest as she breathed enchanted him utterly.

He stood and made his way to her, embracing her from behind and brushing her hair aside so that he could kiss the back of her neck. His hand made its way over her hipbone, pulling her closer so he could enjoy the soft warmth of her backside against his groin. She tilted her head back for a kiss, and he obliged her, her breaths becoming more ragged at the same time that his did.

She turned to face him, and began unbuckling his belt. He quickly removed his sword and set it aside, then let her help pull his tunic and undershirt over his head. Her fingertips were cold on his chest, and so he took her hands in his, leaning in for another kiss, deeper, hotter, her fingers slipping through his, reaching for the waistband of his trousers, slipping beneath. Her fingers were still slightly cold, but it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant coolness against the heat building in him. He groaned, and her expression looked rewarded, an innocent and yet fiendish glee. His few remaining items of clothing slid to the floor, he stepped out of his trousers and kicked them aside.

She began steering him towards her chosen bed, and he went willingly, docile under her touch. When he lay down, she deliberately straddled him, tortuously close, but not yet touching, leaning over until her hair brushed his face. He longed to grab her hips and pull her down, close the distance between them, but part of him also wanted to be teased, for her to draw out the game as long as she could. He felt the heat of her as she gently lowered her body, rocking against him, taking her pleasure, but still not letting him in.

“Goddess…” he said, not sure if he was cursing or calling to her. She paused to look down at him with gleeful satisfaction.

“Come here,” he growled, hands on her hips, guiding her. She followed him forward, and let out a surprised squeak as he pulled her hips down onto his face. His tongue explored her, and she began to shiver above him, her breath catching, whimpers escaping her lips as he settled into a pattern that seemed to please her, pressing just a little harder, until she cried out, her thighs shuddering around his head.

She moved back, looking down at his face, chest still heaving with deep breaths. He enjoyed this view of her, the underside of her breasts, her eyes dazed from what he’d done to her. She leaned forward to kiss him again, lowering herself onto him, a gasp escaping her lips as he slid inside her. He made a strangled noise as he guided her hips, and they found each other’s rhythm. Perfect, too perfect- surely nothing could be this good- he pushed up into her harder- pulled her down onto him- fingertips digging into soft skin. Perfect and still not enough- she was crying out now- getting closer but still not enough- he moaned under the sweetest torture- the agony of  _ almost _ \- bucking his hips and-

When he regained his senses, his queen was looking down at him with her ever-beautiful smile. Her fingers traced across his sweaty brow, brushing aside damp strands of hair. She lay herself beside him and entwined her fingers in his, he reached out with his other hand to stroke her cheek and kissed her again, pulling the blanket up to cover them in the night. 

They lay hand in hand, gazing into each other’s eyes, drifting pleasantly until sleep took them.

* * *

 

He awoke the next morning and gently brushed the hair from her sleeping face. She moved her mouth as if she were mumbling something but did not wake. It was warm and comfortable, here with her, and the air on his face and shoulders was chill.  _ It would be so easy to stay here forever. _

With more than a little regret, he rose from the bed and set about locating his trousers, which he had apparently kicked under the next bed over the previous night. Once he had covered the most important parts, he went to stoke the fire, which had burned down to embers. He added some small and moderate sized pieces of wood, he wanted to warm the room, but there was no need to have a fire going all day when they were leaving so soon.

He gathered the rest of his clothes, a pail and a washcloth and went to the stream for a quick bath. He tested the water and found that it was  _ damn cold _ , hesitating for a moment before jumping in to get the worst part of the experience out of the way. The icy water hit him like a shock and knocked the breath from his lungs. It was one way to eliminate any lingering drowsiness he might have felt. He set about scrubbing himself down as quickly as possible in order to return to his clothes on the bank.

When he was clothed again, he filled the metal pail with water and carried it back to the inn, swiping some apples from a tree on the way. He set the pail in the fireplace to warm the water. Zelda rose sleepily into a sitting position, her eyes searching the room in momentary confusion until she found him.

"Good morning, Zelda."

She gave him a smile and rose from the bed. Once again, he appreciated the view. The water in the pail had warmed enough to be tolerable, he removed it from the fire and offered it to her along with a washcloth. She thanked him and set about cleaning herself up.

He turned to give her some privacy, it wasn’t a show after all, and began munching on an apple. They still had some steamed buns from the previous day that had gone a bit hard, but were still edible. By his standards at least.

Zelda approached him, clothed now, and he offered her an apple, which she took.

"How are you feeling about today?" she asked.

"Well, it’ll be interesting, no matter what happens. I trust that you will guard me while I offer my prayers to the goddess?" he joked.

"Of course. Do I get to have the sword?" She bit into the apple.

"Ahh, unfortunately it only recognizes one owner. But you have that bow of yours. It seems to pack quite a punch," he grinned.

"So it seems… I am glad to have something I can rely on, something to offer in our defense, but… I would rather not have to use it again."

"Exactly how I feel about the sword."

She tilted her head towards him, a sudden sadness in her eyes.

"I’m sorry. I said that before as a message from Hylia, but this time it’s from Zelda. If it’s true that we’ve done this before, that you’ve had to fight again and again…  _ I’m sorry. _ I really am."

He put an arm around her, pulled her close and kissed her on the head, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"But if that’s true, then I also met you every time. Worth it."

She made a flustered noise, and when he pulled back, her cheeks had turned red.

"Come on. We probably won’t make it there and back to Kakariko in a day, but I’m hoping we can at least reach a stable by nightfall. I imagine you’d prefer not to sleep rough?" He tried to keep the mood light.

"You imagine correctly. We should find the stablegirl- Yuzu, I think Impa said- and get the horses ready."

* * *

 

They left Kakariko at a leisurely pace, heading south along the road that would take them between the Dueling Peaks. The air was beginning to warm in the morning light, and dragonflies and grasshoppers buzzed back and forth across the path. They saw the stable ahead with the grassy meadows of Blatchery Plain spreading to the east. There was an odd solemnity in the swaying grass, and the whispers of the wind. Wild horses grazed on the hillside. He wished there was time for them to lie in the field and gaze up at the sky, careless. Something drew him to this place.

Impa’s servants had prepared them a boxed lunch, so they sat around the fire outside the stable and dug into rice with steamed vegetables. It was simple fare, with only a light seasoning on the vegetables, but Link devoured it eagerly. He looked up to find Zelda staring out into the fields, lost in thought, her hair fluttering in the wind.

“A memory from another life?”

Now that he had spoken the question, he was not sure what had possessed him to ask it.

“Perhaps. I suppose there are few places that the goddess has not visited over the millennia. Or perhaps I am just having a moment of moodiness.”

She made a noise of quiet frustration.

“I sometimes wonder why the magic renders itself so subtle. Was it a fairy you saw, or a trick of the light? Do you feel something here because there is a connection, or simply because of your own feelings? When I was young, it was an enchanting thought to think there might be sprites hiding in patches of sunlight and mushroom rings, but now… One could drive themselves to madness trying to find something that was never there, or there all along but hidden from all perception… Sorry, I’m probably not making any sense at all.”

Link met her eyes, “Not at all. I know the feeling. You asked me once, if I ever heard a voice from the sword? Honestly, I’m not sure. I used to try to sense it, sometimes in battle I felt that it might be guiding me, but I could never be sure that I wasn’t just wishing so hard I imagined it.”

He looked up at the sky, where the sun was approaching its peak.

“I wonder if trying to speak to Farore will be the same.”

* * *

 

They passed through the towering, silent walls of the Dueling Peaks soon after, their horses’ hoofbeats soft on the sand of the riverbanks. Emerging into sunlight on the other side, they continued to follow the road and the river to Lake Hylia, crossing the great stone bridge that spanned the lake.

“I’ve always wondered how this bridge was built,” Link mused.

“It predates our time, actually,” Zelda replied, with the same intense interest her voice always carried when it came to historical things. “Of course, we maintain the bridge now, and even before then it was probably rebuilt more than once, but it’s certainly an impressive work of architecture. I can’t imagine what it must have taken to build pillars in a lake this deep.”

“Makes me wonder what it would be like to dive off.”

“You’d die,” she said chidingly.

When they reached the far shore of the lake, the road led into a forest. They kept following the path until they reached a broad stream he recognized. He steered his horse off the road, and Zelda’s followed. Using the winding river as a guide, he led them to Dracozu Lake. There, they tied their horses to a tree, and entered the sacred spring.

The stone visage of the goddess towered above him, as he waded waist deep into the water.

“How does this work again?” he called to Zelda.

“Don’t ask me, I never had any luck with it,” she called back.

“Right,” he muttered. He looked up at the stone statue again, clasping his hands in prayer, trying to clear his mind of distractions, such as the white dress that Zelda had worn here or how it had clung to her body when wet, that body that he had seen the previous night as-

_ Oh right, prayer. Pure mind, pure thoughts… _

He was no stranger to concentration, owing to his knightly training, and meditation was familiar to him. Again and again he brushed away his mundane thoughts, closed his eyes and directed his mind skyward. 

And nothing happened.

He tried not to feel too vexed, after all, Zelda had done this for years, and this was his first day. Still, it was hard to not feel slightly absurd, standing in the water while ...something entirely failed to happen, that he wasn’t entirely sure he would recognize if it did.

It was no longer a sunny day, and though the air was still warm, the water began to leach the heat from his body. Rain began to sprinkle on his shoulders, and he thought he heard a rumble of thunder in the distance. Storms were not uncommon in this area, and it was already late afternoon. Fruitless as the day had been, it was probably time to head back to civilization and warmth.

He definitely felt it now, the shifts in temperature and pressure that heralded a storm, and muttered a curse. As if on cue, there was another crash of thunder, disconcertingly close. He needed to get Zelda to shelter before they were both soaked or hit by lightning. He turned and opened his mouth to speak, but she was standing there frozen, eyes wide in horror or awe or both.

“Link!” she screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> earnin' that M-rating.
> 
> TBH I go through alternating periods of being A-OK with writing sex scenes and then just wanting to cringe myself inside out at the thought. I was apparently fine with this when I wrote it but I'm currently in the cringe phase so it was hard to edit [internal screaming].


	14. Chapter Ten

_ Immense. _

That was the only word for it.

The creature coiled its great, serpent-like body over and around the stone cliffs surrounding the spring, and still towered into the sky. Great claws gouged into stone, leaving fissures in the same way that boots sank into the mud. Orbs of electricity danced through the air, lightning crackling between them. He felt his hair standing on end.

The dragon lunged, its great head plunging towards them. Working on pure instinct, Link drew his sword, raising it for an overhead strike. There was a great flash as a pillar of lightning struck the blade.

He wasn’t sure what he expected, pain or nothingness, but instead the blade absorbed the shock, shining with a sudden blinding radiance. As he swung the weapon down, it released the energy in a glowing shockwave. The dragon halted in midair.

It did not seem injured, perhaps lightning couldn’t harm it. Perhaps nothing could. It regarded Link with what seemed like curiosity.

In a blur of movement, it thrashed its tail against the stone, cracking scales and sending them raining into the spring. They glowed as they hit the water, sending up shafts of light that surrounded him. He looked back at Zelda, who had her bow drawn and aimed at the creature, muttering a string of alternating curses and prayers. He tried to call to her, but the wind rose into a gale as the light surrounded him from all sides.

* * *

 

He awoke in an inky void, illuminated by a greenish light with no discernable source. A childish giggle echoed, a sound that he might have heard in the Lost Woods. He turned to see a female figure suspended by vines, petite and youthful but for the fact that she appeared to be made of molten gold, ever-flowing light that dripped from her feet into the void below.

He dropped to one knee.

“Farore…”

“Hylia’s chosen, hero who holds the shard of my power, Link… You have shown great courage and earned my favor.”

Her face was featureless and unmoving, yet she spoke with the voice of a young girl. He had the distinct impression that what he was looking at was merely a single tree of a forest, a fragment sent to communicate with him. It made his hands tremble.

"Arise, hero of the ages. For once again the time has come when you must fight. You will have many enemies, wielder of the sacred blade. Should you falter, they will slay you where you stand."

From somewhere in the unfathomable darkness, vines rose, forming out of the same light as the goddess, growing at incredible speed, flowers blooming and withering like the pulse of a heartbeat. Golden insects fluttered between the blossoms. Vegetation formed a towering arch behind her, tendrils forming peaks and turrets spiraling into the void above. The goddess remained motionless, suspended, en-pointe, continuing to drip light into the darkness. There was no sound to indicate that the drops ever reached the bottom of the void.

"Therefore, you must not falter. Clear your mind, oh hero, even in the midst of battle. Fight with cleverness. Fight with decisiveness. Fight even when a thousand enemies bear down upon you. You must be willing to lose all else before you ever surrender your courage."

Larger creatures, or at least the echoes of them, had begun to appear in this place. A rabbit hopped forward cautiously, light rippling under its feet as though it stood on an invisible pool. A fox stalked it with golden footsteps. There was a brief chase, a scuffle, and the rabbit’s belly was torn open, guts hanging down from the motionless body like shining ribbons, dripping luminous blood. Golden ravens circled the darkness overhead, and swooped into the void below.

He stood in silence, watching as if in a dream. There was a subtle but certain feeling that he was not being invited to speak.

"The creatures of Hyrule are my creations. I granted them life, to live on Din’s earth, consciousness to follow the laws of Nayru. Yet none are eternal."

The animals, the trees, the flowers, all of it vanished, and the places returned to an abrupt and utter darkness, save for the sole figure of the goddess.

"Should you falter, you will die where you stand. Fight with courage and you may die nonetheless. It would not be courage if it were not so."

"I grant you my favor. Your friends must seek out my sisters. Now return."

* * *

 

He was looking up at a clear sky, though the daylight was beginning to dim slightly. As his eyes focused, he saw Zelda behind him, looking down with a worried expression.

"What… did you see?" she asked.

He rose into a sitting position, shook his head in confusion.

"She… Farore… she gave me a vision. I think… I saw as much of her as a mortal could see. She said I had been granted her power, that I would have to fight, that…"

_ That I might die. _

"It… she didn’t give me any details, or tell me anything about the future. Either she can’t, or she doesn’t feel it necessary…"

Zelda sighed heavily, "Hylia wasn’t sure they would even speak to us. I suppose we have to be grateful for whatever they see fit to grant us. I would have liked some new information, though…"

"They are like this even with Hylia?" he asked.

"Yes. Or at least she implied as much. She seems to rank lower than them on the celestial hierarchy, assuming there is such a thing… In any case, it seems to be the nature of immortals to be frustratingly vague.”

She paused in thought and then brightened.

“But we should celebrate our success! I’ve never heard any stories of direct communication between the golden goddesses and mortals! You must tell me all about it on the way back.”

They returned to where the horses were tied, and began to trace the route back along the twisting river. Dusk was quickly approaching, and even returning to the Dueling Peaks stable would have them travelling into the night. They opted instead to head for the Highland stable, just a little further south. Link tried to gather his thoughts, hoping to offer some information that would prove useful, perhaps provide some hint or clue, but the vision he had seen was already slipping through his fingers. Zelda did not press him for details.

At length, he said.

“She seemed young.”

“Did she? In the creation myths, she is the last mentioned, so perhaps in a sense she is the youngest of the three. Though all of them are eons old.”

“I got the impression that wasn’t the real her… or at least, not all of her. As if… she could keep that dragon like a pet cat if she wanted to.”

Zelda shivered a little at the mention of the dragon.

“I’d heard stories of travellers encountering Farosh, but… seeing her with my own eyes. I was almost sure she’d kill us, perhaps without even intending to. She’s not evil… but not evil in the same way that a tornado isn’t evil. It is still wise to keep as far away as possible.”

“She was beautiful,” Link said, barely realizing he was speaking.

“Beautiful? I suppose so. I was rather busy praying we’d survive the experience,” Zelda responded.

Link was about to reply, but stopped at a rustle from the bushes ahead. His horse shifted nervously, apparently having caught the scent of something. Zelda had stopped, and he motioned to her to stay put while he dismounted and went to investigate.

He brushed aside the ferns and came face to face with the snarling jaws of a wolf, jumping back as it snapped at him. His hand reached for his sword, but at the same time, he noticed the animal stumble, blood slicking the white and black fur on its hind leg. An arrow protruded from the flesh, broken and mangled where the beast had chewed at it. He held up his hands and made a soothing noise. The animal calmed, though it still seemed to be looking at him with suspicion and a slightly unnerving intelligence. Its colors and patterns didn’t match any other wolf he had seen, black with a bold white streak down its side, and a curiously geometric pattern on its forehead. Now that he was closer, he could tell that it was a juvenile. Yet he had seen no signs of a wolf pack in the area.

“Zelda, bring the medical supplies,” he called back, not taking his eyes off the wolf. He heard her rustling in the saddlebags, and a moment later she was by his side, looking down at the animal.

“Link, that’s a  _ wolf. _ ” There was a note of disbelief in her voice.

“I’m aware.”

The wolf growled.

“What are you going to do?”

“Take that arrow out… This… I feel like it’s not a normal wolf.”

“I… okay. Okay. What do you need?” He was grateful that she was going along with his plan, because explaining it further was beyond him.

“Um, cloth bandages, water… do we have alcohol?”

He turned to the wolf.

“Sit.”

The wolf sat.

Link might have questioned this further, but it was far from the strangest thing that had happened that day. He inspected the wound and found the shaft was thankfully still attached to the arrowhead. The wolf growled at him as his fingers probed the wound, but did not bite. Taking a knife from his pouch, he found the backwards points of the arrowhead and carefully widened the injury so that they were no longer caught in the flesh. Slowly, and taking care to ensure the arrow remained intact and did not catch on the flesh, he pulled it out.

Zelda had brought a small bottle of white wine, marginal in terms of drinking quality but passable for cleansing wounds. He rinsed the gash thoroughly, then used water to try and clean the fur around the wound, as they had ample water from refilling their bottles at the spring. Finally, he took a roll of cloth bandage and wrapped the wound as best he could, its location on the upper thigh making the task rather awkward.

“If you’re finished, I think we should go now,” said Zelda, looking up at the darkening sky.

Link nodded. He had done what he could, and made his way back to his horse, which was thoroughly unimpressed with the scent of wolf and blood on him. They began to move on, but a glance backward revealed the wolf following with a three-legged-gait.

“Um, Link? It’s following us.” Zelda glanced at him nervously.

“I know. Do you recognize that mark on its forehead? It looks… kind of familiar…”

“I’m afraid I don’t. You’re right, though… It wouldn’t look out of place next to the goddesses sigils.”

She sighed deeply again, “It’s really not a normal wolf, is it?”

“A gift from Farore?” he wondered aloud.

The wolf barked in response.

“They’re never going to let us into the stable with this,” Zelda groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In retrospect including the wolf was a mistake, though I can't bring myself to remove him now. It does create a headache when writing the rest of the story, as there's frequently not much plot-relevant for him to do, and yet I have to keep mentioning him so the readers don't think he disappeared. On the plus side, he is a very good boy, yes he is.
> 
> Wolf Link is intended to be fairly consistent with his Breath of the Wild appearance- he does not have a human form and is not of human intelligence. He does have some kind of vague psychic/soul connection to Link and understands his commands and intent.
> 
> Farore was somewhat influenced by Frith from Watership Down, _"All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand enemies. And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you..."_


	15. Interlude: Sheikah Sensor

In the evenings, Kakariko Village was silent, except for the chirping of crickets and the sound of the wind. The great plains of Hyrule cooled in the dimming light, but Kakariko remained warm, until the heat rose and the cold air rushed in through the gorges, as if the valley itself were taking a deep breath.

As the stars appeared, so did the fireflies, drifting lazily in the gloom. It was at this hour that Impa drank her evening tea. Green sediment filled the bottom of her cup, and she gave the last of the tea a gentle swirl. She carefully aligned the shallow cup in her hands, and inspected the rim.

The thin, powdery line of sediment closest to the rim was mostly unbroken, and she expected that Link and Zelda’s expedition was proceeding fairly smoothly. Further down, the tea leaves had settled in small flurries and drifts, a hardship here, an uncertainty there. Such was the way of the future.

She peered harder into the bottom of the cup. Though she had held the tea cup steadily, the pattern was quite assymetrical, with almost all of the leaves settling to one side. And rather than the flowing, watery shapes expected, there was a single dark clump, irregular with spiky edges.

She settled back against a pillar with a “hrmph”. The tea leaves had told her what she had already strongly suspected, though she was not glad to be right. She had gleaned no further knowledge, the leaves were always vague.

The Sheikah had given up much of their technological prowess long ago,  in service of an ancient king. It was, she thought, a rather inconvenient rule that had been pushed upon her ancestors. But in a land that drew its power from the Hylian goddess, service to the royal family who held that power exceeded all other considerations. Those who had thought otherwise were now known as Yiga. The  _ dissenters _ .

What remained to the Sheikah were the subtle arts, illusion, espionage, subterfuge, divination. These were the tools they used in the shadows to quietly snuff out any spark of danger before it could threaten the stability of the land. But in the shadows, one was never alone. And those who strayed too far beyond the reach of the light might never return.

She sniffed. What had the Yiga become in the darkness but murderous madmen? Faceless, nameless and nearly mindless, all that remained of their founder’s ideology was blind opposition to the royal family, and by extension, the will of the goddess. The technology they had sought to preserve had slipped through their fingers into near-obscurity. Time had proved that the Sheikah had made the wiser decision. The shadows were starkest when they remained by the light. And yet...

The torches around the village flickered in the breeze, and she heard the creak of a floorboard. Without turning to look, she responded.

“No refills. Thank you, Shikwasa.”

She could practically hear the dejected slumping of the shoulders. But it did no good to coddle her juniors. An enemy would not do them the favor of pointing out when they had been detected.

“Lady Impa. I am ready to depart again, as soon as you have need of me.”

Impa responded, “I doubt that Robbie has made any technological breakthrough in the last two days. And there are others monitoring the Zora. For now, your place is here.”

She could tell that the girl was attempting to conceal her disappointment.

“You should not resent such breaks, but take them as an opportunity to polish the sharpness of your mind. That, in itself, is a formidable mission.”

Setting down her teacup, she looked up at the stars. Another long and fierce gust of wind threatened to snuff out the torches altogether.

“But if it is excitement that you crave, I fear we will have some here soon enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikwasa needs to work on her ninja skills 
> 
> (to be fair she is quite young and practically nobody can sneak up on Impa)
> 
> I don't understand how IRL tea leaf readings work so let's just say the Sheikah have their own way of doing it.
> 
> 30,000 words!


	16. Chapter Eleven

It was morning again, and Mipha was looking out over the sparkling stone of Zora’s Domain, trying to feel a moment of peace before her work began for the day. Yet worry twisted her stomach like a knot. They had decided to allow Sidon to sleep in, as he had come down with a mild fever the previous day. She had tried to heal him, but even after she had taken the sickness itself into her hands, the weakness in his body was strangely intractable. The advisors had suggested it may be psychological, due to the stress he had suffered in recent days, and after further fruitless attempts, she was forced to concede. In theory, she could have reached deeper, into his mind, tried to soothe his pain, but after how her last attempt at emotional influence had gone down, it was out of the question. It would have been out of the question anyway, she had always thought that there was something obscene about taking someone who was grieving and papering over the loss with induced contentment.

She felt she had no choice but to sit by and watch her little brother suffer, hoping that his natural stubbornness would kick in. She was sure it would, but every moment until then was agony. She dearly wished that Link and Zelda were with her, had cried privately when she read the message informing her of their change in plans. She was worried for them, too, hoping desperately that their journey would be a safe one.

And so, more than just a little distracted, she commenced her meetings with the advisors over the endless, trifling matters that now filled her days. Mid-morning, there was a report that had caused her to sit up, a skirmish had occurred between a band of Zora youths and some travelling Rito, resulting in injuries on both sides. Her fears had come true, though her government was pressing for calm and rational action in the wake of King Dorephan’s death, there were those with old grudges, stirring up agitation, and those young and self-righteous enough to take action into their own hands. She rubbed her temples.

"If it was our people who provoked a conflict with the Rito, then they must be punished. I understand their desire to avenge their king, but an example must be set. We cannot allow such rash actions."

"Yes, your majesty. Once their injuries have been treated, they will be asked to stand trial and account for their actions. For those found guilty, I suggest a season of imprisonment."

Until her advisor said the last word, Mipha had barely heard him. Instead, her eyes were passing over the list of names of the accused, which made her stomach turn.  _ Bazz. Rivan. Gaddison. My old friends. Oh, you well-meaning fools, why have you done this? Must I be forced to pass judgement on you? _

She had never imagined the possibility of ordering friends  _ imprisoned, _ and yet there were few choices left to her. She could not pardon them, for that would be signaling royal approval of their actions, but neither did she have the stomach for corporal punishment.

After a long silence she responded, "So it must be, but please be merciful in your sentencing. I know them. Let the decision of their guilt or innocence be handled by a judge who does not.”

The advisor looked at her with something like pity, before letting out a rasping cough.

“What of the Rito who were attacked?" she asked.

"They have arrived at the Domain for treatment, and to trade their goods. It seems they are merchants. They are currently in the inn. Might I suggest you make a personal visit to smooth things over?"

"Yes. I will heal their injuries personally. It is the least I can do."

She allowed her guards to lead the way to the inn. Accompanying her today were Ichthus, still a recent promotion to royal guard duties, and Cobalt, a particularly large Zora guard who had been close to her father. His vivid blue skin was scarred by what looked like Lizalfos tooth marks on one arm.

When she entered the inn, four pairs of piercing eagle eyes rose to meet hers. White, green, pink, and a certain shade of indigo that reminded her a little too closely of a missing friend. She hesitated.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mipha, queen of the Zora. I apologise deeply for harm perpetrated by some of my subjects. Rest assured that those responsible will be punished, and measures will be taken to ensure that this does not happen again."

The Rito’s faces were difficult to read, as their beaks did not allow for much expression. Most emotions showed only in the eyes, and though she had become a little better at picking up on them from her time spent with Revali, it was apparently not enough. She still felt like a fish under the gaze of a sea hawk.

"We appreciate the apology, your majesty," the white Rito spoke. She seemed to be the leader of the group, taller even than Cobalt, her feathers luxuriant and spotless as the snowfall in Hebra. Her tone was haughty. "But it does not make up for the goods that were spoiled, nor the time we will lose recuperating from our injuries. I assume you will make appropriate reparations?"

Mipha bristled at being spoken to in such a way by a flour-selling merchant, but, as she was representing the party who had done wrong, she endured the insult patiently.

"I have," she spoke calmly, "a certain skill in healing magic. If you will permit me to touch you, I will heal you now."

"You may do so," said the white Rito, as though she were the one offering a favor. She brushed aside her feathers, revealing a shallow gash across her shoulder and upper chest. Mipha reached up and pressed her hands to it. Familiar warmth flowed through her fingers, and the wound sealed itself.

The pink Rito, the smallest and perhaps the youngest of the four, seemed impressed.

“I’ve never seen anyone use healing magic before! Do me next!” She indicated a pair of scratches on the side of her face. Mipha obeyed. Thankfully, their injuries did not seem severe, and only a mild exertion of her power was required.

She turned to the green Rito, who was still seated. "Broken ribs," he grunted. Mipha found the side he was favoring, and reached in with her senses to find the broken bones and knit them. She felt around, drawing out bruises and repairing some kidney damage, making sure she didn’t miss anything.

She approached the final Rito, who was still staring at her with eagle-like ferocity. He was younger and skinnier, but the color of his plumage was a near perfect match for the Rito Champion. His injury was along the top of his wing. Something inside her twisted, pain and guilt and fear for her friend’s safety, as she reached out for the jagged glimpse of red-

"Don’t touch me, mudcrawler!"

The power that had being building in her hands went from warm to boiling hot in an instant. She flinched, and at the same moment the Rito did also, gasping in pain. In another second he was against the wall, Ichthus’ trident at his throat.

"How dare you insult her majesty in such a way!"

The Rito hissed in anger, feathers standing on end, but did not make a move. When Mipha looked at his wing, she was horrified to see the edges of the wound turning up, the skin blistering and angry red _. _ She clamped her hands over her own mouth.

Cobalt pulled her back, apparently interpreting her terror as fear for her own safety. Standing behind him, she regained her senses, shouting, “Ichthus! Let him down!”

Still bristling with fury, Ichthus lowered his trident. The sheer tension in the room seemed to have a sound of its own that was deafening.

The haughty Rito broke the silence.

“Such an unpleasant reception we have had today. Were you hoping to curry favor with your healer act, after sending raiders to attack us? These hostilities will be reported to our chief. Ornis, can you fly?”

The indigo Rito nodded.

“Then we depart. Outside!”

The Rito moved quickly. Mipha wanted to call to them to stop, to let her fix Ornis’ wing properly, but if he was not willing to let her touch him before, there was little chance he would now. The Rito soared into the sky, Ornis just a little lopsided and slower. She looked down at her hands miserably. Her instincts told her that, with proper treatment of the wound and protection from the elements, it would heal normally. Her power didn’t continue to work if she was interrupted. That didn’t make her stomach turn any less at what she had seen, nor sooth her racing heartbeat. Her power was going  _ wrong _ and she didn’t know why. And everyone she might have turned to was gone.

Ichthus reached out to her,

“My queen, let us return to the palace.”

She threw herself into his arms and cried.

* * *

 

It was the afternoon, and Mipha was half-heartedly reading some legal documentation, her eyes scanning the words but absorbing little information. Ichthus was still nearby, standing guard. She felt embarrassed by her earlier outburst. As her childhood friend, Ichthus had been good-natured about it, putting his arms around her shoulders and stroking the back of her head while she sobbed. Improper, but there had been few around to see it, and she desperately needed the contact.

Her musing was interrupted by two more guards entering the throne room, looking rather worse for wear. They both had assorted claw marks covering their bodies, as well as deeper, bite-like gouges. One had a head fin that was hanging by a mere flap of skin.

“By the goddess, what happened?” cried Mipha, rushing to them. Protocol and hesitation tossed aside, she immediately set about laying on hands and healing their wounds.

“We found the Rito.”

After a moment of confusion, Mipha realized  _ which Rito _ they were talking about.

“He was… uh… not willing to come quietly. And as we found out,  _ definitely _ not willing to come by force. We managed to extract an agreement that he would meet with you, personally, if you go to him.”

“Where is he?” she asked urgently.

“To the north-east. He has taken up residence in a forest grove between Lake Akkala and Kaepora Pass. Says he intends to remain there for a few weeks. Visit when you are ready.”

“I see. I thank you for your service. Inform the rest of the guard that they can call off the search. And take an extra day of leave tomorrow. I am sorry for what happened."

She sank back into her throne, looking down at the faintly illuminated mark on the back of her hand, thinking of the message from Link and Zelda, and praying that they would return soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mipha is having a bad day.
> 
> I kinda headcanon that being somewhat haughty and/or aggressive is a moderately common trait among Rito, owing to them being essentially giant birds of prey. That said, there is more to these Rito than just being jerks, and Bazz's idea to try and hunt down Dorephan's killer on their own was probably going to end badly somehow. 
> 
> Revali's would-be captors experienced the inevitable consequences of trying to grab a giant eagle that does not want to be grabbed.
> 
> Ornis means "bird" so we now have Fish the Zora in a standoff against Bird the bird.


	17. Chapter Twelve

They were making good time on the journey back to Kakariko, on schedule to arrive at dusk. Link looked somewhat dazed, as anticipated, the stable was not willing to accept him with a wolf in tow. He had set up a makeshift camp under a tree nearby while Zelda rested at the stable. His tunic was covered with white and black fur, and there were bits of twig stuck in his hair that Zelda longed to pick out, if only she could reach. Still, he seemed somehow happy, occasionally leaning over to say a few words to the wolf in a cooing voice. The animal trotted obediently alongside his horse, limping only slightly now. It had recovered fast.

"Are you going to give him a name?" Zelda asked.

"I was going to go with ‘Wolf’ actually."

"Not exactly the creative type, are you?"

"Not so much, outside of cooking," he agreed good-naturedly.

"We should call him Twilight. That’s when we found him."

"Twilight?" Link wrinkled his nose, "Can’t we go with… I don’t know, Brutus? Lionheart? Killer?"

"Twilight!" called Zelda, and the wolf hurried to her side, wagging its tail.

Link groaned. "Well, I guess you’ve done it. Come here, Twilight!"

The wolf obediently returned to his side. The previous night, they had both noticed that the creature bore the mark of the Triforce in white fur on its front paw. There could be little question that it was indeed a gift from Farore. Even so-

"Why would Farore give you a wolf?" she wondered aloud.

"I don’t recall her mentioning it. Didn’t really question it," he said, shrugging in a way that was both endearing and mildly infuriating.

"Her domain is over living creatures, so I guess it makes sense from that perspective, but… If what we’re fighting is just as dangerous as the Calamity, I doubt the wolf will be of much help."

"I  _ like _ my wolf," was his only response. The wolf continued to trot alongside him, tongue lolling out.

"I like him too!" she said, a little defensively. "I’m… just wondering if we can figure out any hints of what might be going on in the goddesses’ minds."

"Perhaps it is just a token."

She sighed, "Perhaps it is."

They paused, seeing a figure at the crossroads ahead of them. The man appeared to be a commoner, perhaps in his early thirties, dressed in drab clothing and carrying a pack on his back. Zelda moved ahead to greet him.

"Hello, traveller. Is all well?"

"Why yes, it is a fine day. I myself have just acquired goods from the forests of Lake Floria and intend to sell them further north. Though if I meet a customer on the way, well, I won’t turn down the opportunity." He gave a charming smile.

Link and Twilight had caught up with her. The wolf was growling, hackles raised.

"Heel," commanded Link. He regarded the stranger coldly.

"Merchant, what is your trade?”

"Oh, as I was just explaining to your lady friend here, I’m returning from Floria with a fresh batch of banana-"

Before Zelda could blink, Link was off his horse, sword swinging. As his blade passed through the air where the man’s throat had been, there was a puff of smoke and a deep laugh. The man reappeared on the opposite side of her horse, clad in red and black.

_ Yiga! _

She’d encountered them before, her closest scrape being at the Kara Kara Bazaar when she had momentarily managed to sneak away from Link’s watchful eyes. That was back when leaving his side had actually seemed appealing, for reasons she could now only vaguely recall.

She wasn’t expecting to see one here and now, now that Ganon was gone. Whether they thought of him as a god or a leader, the fact remained that they should all be well aware their opportunity had passed. Was this revenge, then?

She tried to calm her horse, who had been startled by the commotion. Link was running towards her, trying to put himself between her and the Yiga, as the masked man charged for her, sickle drawn.

The wolf was faster. Its great jaws bit into the Yiga man’s right arm, causing him to almost drop his weapon, the weight of the beast pulling him down to his knees. In another moment, Link was there too, stomping on the hand that held the sickle, and kicking it out of reach, before delivering a swift knee under the man’s mask to his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. But the Yiga twisted and leapt to his feet, one arm dangling uselessly, and vanished in another puff of smoke. Only spatters of blood on the path showed where he had been.

Zelda heard Link muttering a long string of curses that ended in  _ “-bananas”. _ After a moment of surveying the area, he returned to the horses, the wolf pattering along behind him.

“You aren’t hurt?” he asked, looking up at her with concern.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you. And thank you Twilight. Good boy!”

There were still faint traces of blood around the wolf’s mouth, as it sat calmly and wagged its tail. Once Link was back on his horse, they resumed their journey.

“I am surprised that the Yiga are still active,” Zelda confessed.

Link made a noise which she interpreted as agreement.

“I wonder if he is just a straggler, or if they are reorganizing, perhaps aiming at revenge.”

“Hard to tell. Maybe that one guy is just holding a grudge.” He spurred his horse, which had paused to munch on some vegetation. “But my gut is telling me there might be more to it.”

“Is your gut usually a reliable source of information?”

He gave a serious nod.

“Then we’ll have to keep an eye out. I do have one more question, though.”

He tilted his head.

“Just out of interest, what are you planning to do if you ever meet a real banana salesman?”

* * *

 

They arrived at Kakariko Village shortly after the sun had sunk below the horizon, leaving only a dim glow as the night chill set in. Twilight was still plodding along faithfully beside the horses, occasionally pausing to sniff an interesting tuft of grass. Aside from a brief excursion during which he chased down a squirrel and then tore it to pieces, utterly putting Zelda off her own lunch, he had not left Link’s side. In the fading light, he blended into the shadows with an uncanny perfection, glowing blue eyes stark in the gloom.

The residents of Kakariko did not seem too bothered by the wolf’s approach, in contrast to most Hylians they had met. Perhaps they could sense the touch of goddess magic, or perhaps they were just more used to things out of the ordinary. They tied their horses at the same place as before, thanking Yuzu as she brought water and hay. Impa was placing apples as an offering to the statues in front of her house when they found her.

“Welcome back, your majesty. How was your journey?"

Twilight was prodding at one of the apples with his nose.

"Successful, at least we think. Link was able to make contact with Farore, though she didn’t give any immediately useful information. We acquired an ally though."

She narrowed her eyes as she looked down at the beast, then at Link.

"That’s a wolf."

"Yes," Zelda confirmed.

Impa kneeled down and inspected the animal, its white markings and the blue eyes that were just a little too smart.

"He’s a special creature, doubtless you have noticed. I sense a heroic soul in him." Impa turned her attention back toward the statue and gave a bow.

"He already helped us once. There was a Yiga-"

"A Yiga?" Impa’s full attention was now on Zelda. "Tell me what happened."

She paused, "The usual, really… He pretended to be a travelling merchant and certainly would have attacked me had Link not seen through his disguise."

Impa harrumphed. "You must learn to sharpen your senses, my Queen."

The command stung a little. Zelda composed herself and asked, "What do you know about the Yiga Clan’s current activities?"

Impa sighed. "They seemed to vanish almost entirely after Ganon’s defeat. While they were on the retreat, we managed to eliminate their leader, Master Kohga. We hoped the decapitation strike would cause them to disband, and until now, it seemed that they had. If they are still active, it means that a new leader is pulling them together."

"Could this be a lone act of revenge? It seemed more opportunistic than a planned attempt on my life." She was mulling it over.

"It seems likely that this attack was spontaneous. But the omens are portentous. The Yiga will rise again. I suspect that the one you encountered will be punished for his failed attempt, and the fact that it was clearly under the banner of the Yiga."

Zelda thought for a moment. "You mean… there could be other attacks by the Yiga that don’t look like Yiga attacks? That perhaps look like, for example, Rito attacks?"

Impa nodded. Zelda uttered an un-queenly word.

"Goddesses, we need to tell Mipha. We’ll return to the Zora’s Domain tomorrow, organize-"

Impa put a hand on Zelda’s shoulder. "The path to Lanayru is clear now. You have been set a task by the goddesses, it would be best not to waste time. If the Zora have any sense at all, they are already on high alert for any sneak attacks."

"But-"

"Rest now, my queen. Our Lady Nayru awaits you in the morning."

Zelda nodded reluctantly. "There was one more thing that we were going to ask of you. The cold on Mount Lanayru is bitter indeed. Would any of the merchants or townsfolk here be happy to sell us Rito-made attire?"

Impa grinned. "My queen, we can acquire anything you wish. It will be delivered to you first thing tomorrow."

* * *

 

The innkeeper had returned and so they did not have the absolute privacy that had been granted to them last time. Not that it would have mattered so much, Link was gone almost the second he hit the bed. After some discussion, Twilight had also been permitted to enter the inn, and trotted over to Zelda as she got into her own bed. She ran her fingers through his rough fur, wondering what awaited her this time on the peak of Mount Lanayru. Sleep was slow to come, but the wolf’s calm vigil eventually allowed her rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Twilight is a bit of a cliche name for Wolf Link but I can't think of anything else good and at least this makes it easy for readers to remember.
> 
> I cut this chapter in half so it's a bit shorter than average. The second half, which will be posted as Ch.13 next week, is home to one of the biggest additions/changes I've made since my original NaNo draft so it's nearing 3,000 words and not done yet.


	18. Chapter Thirteen

They awoke the next morning to find that, as promised, neatly folded Rito clothing had been placed at the foot of their beds. Zelda drew the curtains around her while she changed. The clothes were a surprisingly good fit, warm trousers with a flowing coat that came past the knees, decorated with Rito embroidery. The back of the coat was longer than the front, and decorated with geometric designs resembling tail feathers. There was even a hood to pull over her head and ears when it got too cold.

When she finished dressing, she pulled the curtain aside and slid into her boots, which were delightfully soft and fluffy on the inside. Link stood nearby, wearing a tunic of similar material and color, with an asymmetrical design.

“Let’s make this quick,” he said. “I’d rather not be on that mountain come nightfall.”

She nodded in agreement, and hoped that Nayru would be in a cooperative mood.

They collected their horses and supplies and set off on the winding path that led to the summit of Mount Lanayru, Twilight following behind the horses again. The Sheikah had warned them that the mountain was still potentially unstable, and they should watch out for further ice-slides or slips on the way up. 

There was silence between them as they reached the East Gate of Lanayru Road. Zelda tried her hardest not to think about what had happened the last time they were here, the sense of failure and hopelessness that had assailed her after the last sacred spring failed to wake her powers, followed by the all-consuming despair as she had realized she was  _ out of time. _ Even the memory of it was enough to twist her gut and freeze her insides. Her eyes avoided the sky, somehow terrified that if she looked up, she would see the swirling black clouds again. Her cold hands were clinging to the reins, shaking uncontrollably, and her breath was coming quick and shallow. 

“Zelda,” Link said, his voice speaking her name bringing her just a little closer to the present. “If you need to stop, we can-”

“No,” she said, her voice high and fragile as she forced it out, “I- I need to get out of here…”

He nodded obediently and took the reins of her horse, spurring his own horse to pick up the pace. Zelda tried to focus on the steady movement of the horse underneath her, something in the here and now, different from last time. Her arms were wrapped around herself, and she tried to slow her breathing without much success. Something in her mind kept repeating the past, a shivering chorus of  _ it’s over, it’s over, it’s over... _

They finally passed through into the Naydra Snowfield. Link swiftly dismounted from his horse and grabbed some fallen branches to make a hasty fire. She felt his hands on her as he lifted her off the horse and placed her next to the fire. In the next moment, she was held tight in his embrace.

“Zelda… I’m here… It’s okay… Everything’s okay…” he murmured to her, over and over. Eventually, she was able to take control of her breathing and the trembling in her body, the solidity of his presence calming her.

He handed her a piece of bread and cheese from their supplies. “Eat this,” he ordered, and she took it, wordlessly.

The bread was fresh, the cheese was sharp. There was a chill wind blowing from the mountain, partially blocked by the warmth of Link’s body. The fire flickered before her. She listed these things in her mind, trying to root herself in the present. She dared not look back at the gate, but she finally managed to look up at the sky, finding it to be a clear blue, unmarred by clouds.

_ Everything’s okay. _

She rose to her feet, Link beside her.

“Let’s keep moving,” she said. He nodded and gave her a leg up to mount her horse.

As they approached the edge of the snowfield, Link motioned to her to stop, gesturing toward several icy lumps that blended into the terrain almost completely.

“Snow Lizalfos,” he mouthed.

With cautious movements, she drew her bow, and took them out one by one from a distance. She was getting quite good at this now, she felt, though the fact that the light arrows practically blasted a crater in whatever monster flesh they touched certainly helped. Perfect aim was somewhat less important than it would be with conventional arrows.

The commotion awoke a Lizalfos that neither of them had noticed, that charged at them from behind a snowdrift. Startled, Zelda fumbled to raise her bow and draw again. Link had his own, Sheikah-made bow out now, she neither knew nor cared when he had picked that up, sinking an arrow into the Lizalfos’s bulging eyeball. It shrieked and leapt back, giving her just enough time to line up another shot that vaporized half its head. The rest of it fell twitching to ground. She tried not to look too hard as they passed, entering the mountain path.

The path to the Spring of Wisdom was thankfully clear, she guessed that the Sheikah workers who had cleared the road after the avalanche might have also culled the monster population. On their second turn around the mountain, they reached the place where snow and ice had flooded the path. A narrow walkway had been carved through the pile of snow, just wide enough for their horses to pass through single file. The walls were made of compacted snow and ice, with wooden struts for support. They moved cautiously, lest another avalanche collapse the makeshift pathway.

As they left their horses and approached the spring, the probable cause of the avalanche came into view. Wrapped around the pillars of ice and stone on the summit lay Naydra, the ice dragon. Zelda’s breath caught in her chest at the sight of her, shining and iridescent and utterly immense in scale. The dragon twitched her great tail, and a chunk of snow slid down the face of the mountain in the direction of Kakariko. She regarded the two Hylians with the mildest of interests, in the same way as they might watch ants scurrying on cobblestones. Zelda held up her hand, showing the Triforce mark on the back, and the dragon slowly crept forward with a lizard-like gait.

She removed the Rito trousers and boots, as they were liable to hold onto water once soaked, revealing her black tights beneath. Hiking up the Rito coat, she stepped barefoot into the spring, allowing Hylia’s power to send ripples of light out from her footsteps. Though Naydra was probably not a threat, it was somehow difficult to feel that way with her great jaws meters above you, her icy breath freezing the very sweat on your skin. Anything she could do to signal that she was an ally of the goddesses was an advantage.

“Naydra!” she called, the freezing air biting her lungs and throat, “I am Zelda of Hyrule, Spirit Maiden to Hylia and holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. I have come to speak with the goddess Nayru. Please allow me passage.”

The dragon leaned in slowly, blinking as it inspected Zelda. Then, with a movement that made her throw herself back in fear, it thrashed, ramming its head into a stone pillar. Glowing shards of dragon horn scattered across the spring, which erupted with light.

* * *

 

She was in a realm with a quiet blue glow, geometric arrangements of lines that ran far into the darkness and out of view. Before her, at the center of everything, was a great blue throne on a pedestal. There, the golden goddess sat, motionless as though she were part of the stone. In her hands was held a crystal ball, swirling with mist. Zelda had the disconcerting impression that it was an eye, as the goddess certainly had none on her featureless face.

She jerked, startled, as she realized there was another figure standing beside her.

_ Hylia. _

The lesser goddess bowed, and Zelda followed suit. Or rather, they moved together. The connection between them was stronger in this place, and Zelda felt almost as if Hylia was leaking into her, filling her with a sense of _ so much she had forgotten, _ if not the memories themselves.

“Hylia,” Nayru spoke, and Zelda was startled to realize that  _ she _ was the one being addressed.

“Once again, you have received the shard of my power. Use it lawfully, and I will aid you. I trust that you have not forgotten.”

Zelda’s body shivered, and she realized that Hylia was frightened, of all things. Here, even her goddess felt like a child before a strict and distant parent, as she had herself when confronted by her father. It would have been interesting to observe the interactions between the goddesses, were that fear not leaking into her also.

She spoke with Hylia’s voice, slightly trembling.

“Lady Nayru, as you know, I wear the form of a mortal. They cannot hold the memories of countless lifetimes, and so, a part of me resides separately from the body, guardian of those past recollections. To do otherwise risks madness. In this body, I cannot remember your power. However, given time, I can feed relevant fragments of memory, a touch, a word, a movement, back into this form. Enough that I will know what to do when the time comes.”

Nayru was unearthly quiet, her realm bathed in the kind of perfect stillness that would have a mortal crying out, as the rush of blood in their ears and their own heartbeat formed a choir of hallucination. Here was Order and Law, weighing down on the air until it was crushing. The glow was steady and constant, not even the reflections and shadows on her faceless visage moved in the slightest. Only the misty eye swirled, fractals of ice spiralling and collapsing back in on themselves, exploring the possibility-space of order.

“You will  _ remember _ then, Hylia. Power is nothing without the wisdom to use it, or all that is built will inevitably crumble under its flawed structure. I grant you my blessing.”

Zelda and Hylia bowed in unison, and the vision faded.

* * *

 

She stumbled as she regained consciousness in the spring, the tail of her coat slipping into the water despite her best efforts. Her feet were freezing, numb as she trudged out of the fountain as though she were walking on tree stumps. Link offered her a cloth to dry off with, which she did as best she could before gratefully pulling the Rito trousers and boots back on. She shivered as her body warmed itself.

“She called me Hylia,” she said to Link, as he stoked a campfire he had set up nearby. Somehow, that detail was the most salient part of the meeting to her.

Link gave her an inquisitive look, and so she continued to think out loud.

“I suppose, to her, we are the same entity. In that… place, even I couldn’t tell where I ended and where Hylia began. I guess, since Hylia is the one carrying lifetimes of power and experience, and I’m just… me… she must shine brighter to the goddesses.”

“Hylia was there?” he asked.

“Technically, she’s here now, too. But yes, she was there. She spoke through me… And… she seemed rather nervous around Nayru. She’s like a child before the golden goddesses.”

“Farore was kind of unsettling too. Did this one have a face?”

She shook her head.

She gazed into the flames, watching their flickering dance and feeling the warmth. She ran her fingers through Twilight’s rough fur. It would be so easy to spend the whole day here, rather than make the journey back down the winding mountain road. But if they were to leave, sooner was better than later. Link stood, and she followed, feeling a surge of disappointment as he threw snow over their lovely fire. She mounted her horse, loyal beast that it was, and they proceeded back down the mountain path.

* * *

 

She was glad that the East Gate looked different in the half-darkness, different from her memories, enough that she could pretend it was somewhere else. She looked up at the stars that were beginning to appear in the dimming sky. It would be a clear night.

As they entered Kakariko village, Zelda spotted a familiar figure by Impa’s house.

“Purah!” she called, “What a surprise!”

Purah flashed them a grin and a peace sign. “Your Majesty, your highness, how wonderful to see you again.”

She could tell that Link was cringing behind her, as he always did when someone used his title. He said nothing, so once again she was the one to speak.

“What brings you here? Has there been a breakthrough at the castle?”

Purah winced, “Unfortunately, all we’ve broken are some bones. Robbie’s, mostly.” Seeing Zelda’s expression, she quickly added, “He’s doing fine.”

“I… see.”

“Impa asked me to come. She wanted to try out the Shiekah Slate on that.”

Purah gestured to a stone object that was currently sitting in the middle of the village. In the dim evening, Zelda had thought it to be just a pile of rocks, but when she looked closer, she could see that it was carved into a shape resembling a bird with its wings spread. The grooves and curving patterns told her that it was Sheikah-made, and overall it resembled a much smaller version of Vah Medoh.

“What is that?” she asked.

Impa stepped forward from beside her, causing her to jump.

“Vigilance, your majesty,” she chided, before turning toward the stone object.

“Our workers found it on the mountain while clearing a path. It’s Sheikah-made, no doubt about it. We believe it is possibly an early test of the technology that was used to make the Divine Beasts.”

“A prototype?”

Impa looked at her with a grave expression.

“Your Majesty. If I may ask, have you continued your field research on the Guardians and Divine Beasts?”

Zelda hung her head. “No. I’ve given Purah and Robbie full access to the laboratory at the castle, but I… I haven’t touched my notes. Not… not since my father…”

Impa nodded sympathetically, “I understand. We all learned a painful lesson about the Guardians that day. I regret that I did not possess more knowledge from my ancestors to share.” Her eyes returned to Zelda’s, with their piercing intensity. “But I wish to know. Are you interested in continuing your research?”

Link was glaring at Impa now, unhappy that her chosen line of conversation was a painful subject for Zelda. Zelda turned to him and gave a weak smile, a reassurance that she was okay. His face softened a little, and she turned back to Impa.

“Now that you mention it, perhaps I should. I admit, the Guardians frighten me now. But I did enjoy studying them, before... And knowledge is power. Perhaps it is best for me to overcome my fear.”

Impa nodded, a fierce pride in her eyes, “Well said, my queen. Purah, can you activate it?”

“Okey-dokey… Just give me a moment…”

Brows furrowed in concentration, Purah tapped away on the Sheikah slate, as a stream of glyphs flowed across its surface. Blue light began to flow over the surface of the stone bird in rivers and channels, creating a swirling pattern. Zelda could see now that it was not an exact double of Vah Medoh, the beak was thicker in profile, the legs longer. From beak to feet, it was longer than she was tall, and the wingspan longer still. Its time spent under the shifting ice packs had taken a toll, some of the outstretched stone feathers had cracked and fallen.

“It lacks something that the other beasts have,” Purah mused, “This one won’t move at all without a pilot.” She grinned in Zelda’s direction.

“M-me? You want me to pilot… that?”

“How else will you study it?” giggled Purah.

“It is, of course, your choice,” said Impa. “But if you want it, please accept it as a gift from the Sheikah tribe.”

“Or maybe a gift from Naydra,” added Purah, “She’s the one that knocked it loose.”

_ A gift from Naydra… _ Zelda looked at the ground, then back at the stone bird.

“I accept.”

She stepped forward, and following Purah’s gestures, placed her hand flat on the glowing blue circle on the bird’s back. The stone was cool on her fingers and rough to the touch. She felt a peculiar jolt, as though her hand were being drawn in. At the same time, a voice sounded at the back of her head, as mute as a distant bell yet so close it seemed to ring within her skull.

[Zero Series Divine Beast “LOFTWING” activated. Distilling pilot signature and initiating startup.]

“What,” she said, but nobody heard.

Purah jabbed a finger at the slate and then grinned.

“Registration accepted. Climb on board.”

Hesitantly, Zelda pulled herself onto the…  _ Loftwing, _ if that was what it had called itself, crawling forward on her hands and knees. There was a sudden jolt and she threw out her arm to catch her balance, realizing that the machine was now hovering a few feet off the ground.

“Oh goddesses…” she muttered, wondering how she had been roped into this. She noticed that the blue circle continued to gently pull on her. She could lift her hands from the bird with only a little more effort than usual, but it gave her the impression that as long as she didn’t want to let go, it would hold her there and keep her from falling.  _ A hypothesis to test before going any higher,  _ she thought.

Gingerly, she pressed down with one hand, and the Loftwing began to tilt to that side. It rotated as though on an axle, with no movement in any other direction, and she found it somewhat unsettling, how un-alive it was and yet capable of motion. The tilt was becoming steep, and yet she still felt pulled towards the center of the circle rather than toward the ground. Her hypothesis was seeming plausible. She took a deep breath.

She leveled out the wings and hesitantly rose to her feet. The blue glow from the circle seemed to envelop her boots, and her footing felt steady. Her stomach, on the other hand, was threatening to rise up into her throat.

_ Dare I… _ she thought, and with a wavering voice, spoke.

“Fly.”

There was a whirring sound, and the stone creature began to rise, faster than before, and she gasped as it gave a wobble before righting itself. She thought she heard Link’s voice, moving toward her, but she was already out of reach, level with the rooftops now and still ascending. Soon she reached the top of the cliffs that surrounded Kakariko Village, and stopped there, as the night sky spread above her like a blanket of stars.

From here, she could see the castle, see the Lanayru Wetlands, see the mountain and the pass, and the gate. It was so small now, distant and grey, nothing like the imposing stone she had seen that morning. A gust of air ruffled her clothing, sharp and cold, and she found herself smiling despite it all.

Cautiously, she moved one foot forward, pressing down against the stone. The Loftwing pitched down slightly, and began to move forward. Shifting her weight carefully, she took it in a sweeping arc, descending over the village. They flew together at a gentle pace, and at the end of their loose spiral, landed back in the village, where she hopped to the ground.

Link’s jaw was still tensed with worry, and she made her way to him, pressing her forehead against his, and clasping his hands in her own. He slipped his fingers between hers and squeezed her hand.

“It’s okay,” she murmured to him, and then raised her voice to everyone.

“It’s wonderful.”

Purah beamed with pride.

“It’s all yours, Queen Zelda! Now that you’ve gotten to know each other, it should work without the Slate, but if you’re intending to further your research…” She held the Sheikah Slate out, glyphs still rippling across its surface.

Zelda held out her hand, hesitant. She touched the slate but did not take the weight of it in her hand, and Purah continued to hold it. Finally, she shook her head.

“No, I think the Loftwing will be enough to keep me busy for now. I need you to keep working on the Guardians, and I think that requires the touch of an expert, not a dilettante. Take it with you.”

“You underestimate your abilities, my queen,” Purah smiled, “But I won’t argue. I haven’t even scratched the surface of the tests I want to run on this thing. Perhaps if you give me a hundred years, I’ll get the hang of it.”

Zelda laughed. “One hundred years? In that case, I hope it has an anti-aging function.”

Purah furrowed her brows, an abrupt intensity overtaking her. “An anti-aging… perhaps if I… if the flow could be reversed, then… Ah, where is my notebook!”

She fled into a nearby building, leaving Zelda bemused.

Once again, Impa’s voice came from beside her- the woman had been so quiet that Zelda had forgotten she was there.

“Did it feel steady in flight? I am concerned about the damage to the wingtips. The internal mechanics are a mystery, but we should be able to repair the exterior, at least…”

Zelda nodded. “I would be hesitant to fly any faster than I just did in its current state. If you could repair it, I’d be grateful. Link and I will rejoin with Mipha tomorrow, to accompany her to the Spring of Power. In the meantime, I’ll leave it in your hands.”

There was a noise of agreement from Impa, and then she was gone.

* * *

 

Once again, they spent the night in the Kakariko Inn. Zelda pulled Link behind her curtain while no one was looking, so that they could share some kisses, curled up under the blankets. His hands wandered under her nightgown, fingertips drifting over her hips, her waist, her chest, but neither of them were exhibitionist enough to go further with other guests just beyond the curtains. With a frustrated sigh, Link returned to his own bed, after giving her a final kiss goodnight, mouthing the word, “Tomorrow” as he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet!... of course I've spent this week reading fics by authors who pump out 10k+ per update so 3,700 is not feeling particularly impressive.
> 
> But I'm glad I got the chance to develop Zelda here- what traumas she's still carrying from the Calamity, how she and Hylia relate to each other, and what will become of her interests in research. A "Vah Medoh prototype" was something I had the idea for but ultimately decided against including in my original draft. But the idea came back in a slightly more refined form (and now I have to rewrite future chapters to fit it in *grumble grumble*). Anyway, as you can imagine, Zelda with the Bow of Light and the Loftwing will be a force to reckon with and she will probably find raining down holy judgement on her enemies quite therapeutic.


	19. Interlude: Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I wrote during NaNoWriMo, when I was just a bit short of the 50k mark and frazzled. So I wrote a chapter in dog perspective. As you do.
> 
> (To be clear, I went back and added this on the last day of NaNoWriMo, but upcoming chapters were also written during that time- I have five more chapters and five more interludes. So that's two updates a week for the next month or so, enough to tie up this arc, and hopefully also enough time to finish writing a good chunk of the next arc before it comes time to post that orz).

Twilight trotted behind the horses, wagging his tail. Amidst the scent of horse he could also smell the man and the woman. They both had a good, familiar smell, as though they were the pack he had left behind long ago. He would follow them, through the mountain pass with all its other scents.

His leg had mostly healed, though he could feel the cool breeze where the wound had been. They reached a landmark, a human-made structure of stone. A fox had been here, the faint musk lingering from several days ago. He would not find it now.

That was not the only thing that distracted him. The woman was scared. He could smell the fear oozing from her, and looked around warily. He couldn’t see what she was scared of, but perhaps there was a hidden danger. He perked his ears for any sudden noises, growling to scare off anything that might be there. But there was only the valley.

They passed through to an open snowfield, and the man lit a fire. At first, the fire only made him more anxious, but the warmth was pleasant and tempting. His paws were cold in the snow. The woman became calmer. Twilight became calmer too. Whatever the danger was, it seemed to have passed.

The snow hid most earthy scents, but he could still pick up traces of Lizalfos on the breeze. He was about to growl in warning when the humans pulled out their weapons and sent sharp sticks flying, the same sharp stick that the man in black and red had hit him with a few days before. The Lizalfos keeled over, organs exposed, and the scent of blood filled the air. A successful hunt. He chewed on a tail. It was not so tasty.

The wind whipped through his fur as they went up the mountain. His nose was cold. He was cold. But the pack wanted to go up the mountain. He wondered if there were better prey there, perhaps young deer. He heard the snow on the mountain shift, and flattened his ears.

He followed and followed, and the air got colder and colder. The path was narrow and confining, and unsettled his instincts. There was another smell in the wind, an unusual one. The smell was everywhere, in equal strengths. Was the creature also everywhere?

He saw it curled around the top of the mountain like a snake on a rock. Much bigger than a snake. Much bigger than him. He flattened himself into the snow, but it did not seem aggressive. It didn’t seem friendly either. He approached with caution, still trying to identify the smell. It even smelled cold. There was ice on his nose and jaw. He pawed at them.

The woman waded into the water. He followed to the edge, watching her. He lapped at the water, but it was bitterly cold on his tongue. He didn’t want to follow her in.

_ Movement! _ The gigantic creature moved, and everything shook. He jumped back, flattened his ears, whimpering, looking for something to hide under. There was a flash of golden light.

For just a moment, he saw more than he could understand. Tendrils of golden light connected him and the man. Connections. They were not entirely separate. He was a little bit human, and the human was just a little bit wolf. It was a strange but happy feeling. He would stay with the human. He knew it was right.

The light faded to a glowing ball hovering in the middle of the pool. He raised his hackles, considering biting into it, but then he would get wet and cold. He turned. The man was making another fire. He trotted over to the man’s side and nuzzled his arm. A hand reached out to scratch his ears.

"Good boy," muttered the man.


	20. Chapter Fourteen

Mipha shifted anxiously on her throne, craning to see out over the domain that she might catch a glimpse of any guests arriving via the main bridge. It was near fruitless, of course, she could see only a fraction of the bridge from her vantage point and her guards would likely inform her of any arrivals before she spotted them. Still, she was intensely restless. If Link and Zelda had followed the travel plans that the Sheikah messenger had conveyed to her, then they should be arriving from Kakariko this evening.

It was probably still too early.

She kept looking anyway.

“-the borders that were negotiated during the reigns of King Nepthes and King Dorephan- Are you listening?”

She shook her head in confusion, and the elderly Zora in front of her sighed. Laevis, stooped and with a manta ray-like head, waggled his fins in frustration.

“The point is, though Lake Hylia is officially on Hyrulean land, the Zora have enjoyed mutual access to the fishing grounds for as far back as the records go. Permissions have been granted to no other race! There are no shortages in Hebra, so the Rito plundering of our fish is a clear act of aggression, a sign that they consider themselves entitled to what belongs to the Zora. This cannot-”

Mipha cut him off, “Laevis, is there any shortage of fish in Lake Hylia or the Domain?”

The elderly Zora looked annoyed, “There is not, but it is the principle of the matter! If you allow this, they may push further. And then when there is a shortage, we will have to fight so much harder to claim what should be ours!”

She rubbed her forehead between her finger and her thumb.

“My highest priority at the moment is to avoid unnecessary tensions between the Rito and the Zora. Are we going to survive the Calamity, only to create a petty conflict of our own? It is not what Queen Zelda would wish, and neither do I wish it.”

Laevis’ scowl was venomous, “Your love for the queen blinds you. You must uphold your duty in defending the interests of the Domain, even if it conflicts with the wishes of the Hylians. If you will not do so, then we will make Sidon king in proper. He is not so compromised.”

“Compromised!?” Mipha raised her voice, and Laevis made a quick bow of apology.

“I may have spoken too much. I mean no disrespect, my queen.”

“No, I think you have spoken  _ exactly _ enough. Thank you for letting me know where we stand.” Her voice was uncharacteristically hard. 

“Send a message to the Rito Chief to let him know we disapprove of unauthorized fishing in Lake Hylia. Do nothing else that may provoke conflict. As always, keep an eye out for agitators in the Domain. As I said, my priority is to defuse these tensions. You are dismissed for the day. Thank you for your service.”

As he passed the gleaming white pillars, the hunched Zora muttered something inaudible.

* * *

 

Mipha’s heart leapt as she was finally informed of three people on horseback approaching the Domain. The Queen of Hyrule, and the Prince Consort, along with a Sheikah stable girl and some kind of dog. Her wife and her husband. She leapt from the throne room, the cool air singing past her skin until she slipped beneath the surface of the water in a perfect dive. She kicked and picked up speed, turning when she saw blurry figures on the bridge above the water. Deep in the water, she propelled herself with her entire body, leaping clear of the surface, the trail of water behind her tracing the arc she made as she landed on the bridge. The two figures on the bridge and the one standing further away in the grass all jumped in surprise.

“Mipha!” cried Zelda, leaping into her arms, ignoring the water on the Zora’s skin that soaked into her clothes. “Goodness, you scared me there!”

“I almost forgot you could jump like that,” added Link. He pulled them both into a hug that momentarily squeezed the air from their lungs in a gasp.

Zelda pulled herself free for a moment, and turned to the Shiekah girl.

“Thank you, Yuzu. You said you found a spot to keep the horses for the night?” The Sheikah girl nodded, and began leading the horses back in the direction of the mountain path. Her own horse was loaded with camping supplies, Mipha noted. She soon rounded the corner and was out of sight.

A dark colored animal was following Link. This must be the dog her guards mentioned. She leaned forward to look at the creature, which sniffed her inquisitively, then stumbled back in shock.

"Link, that’s a wolf!"

_ "I know." _

It sounded like it was not the first time he had had this conversation. The wolf continued to sniff Mipha, then licked her on the back of the hand, above her Triforce mark.

“Now,” Zelda said, squeezing Mipha’s other hand, “Where are we staying for the night?”

* * *

 

The royal quarters were difficult to access without passing underwater, so she led them back to the villa where they had stayed on their first night here after the wedding. No sooner had she closed the door behind her than Link pushed her up against the wall, kissing her deeply. Her legs went weak.

When he finally came up for air Mipha gave him a smile and a giggle.

“I’ve missed you too, Link.”

Zelda was giving both of them a coy look.

“Upstairs?” she suggested.

She took their hands and led the way.

They reached the bedroom and Mipha began helping Zelda to remove her travelling clothes, trading kisses as they did. The Hylian queen’s fingers traced tantalizingly light patterns over her skin, making her shiver, then began working in circles around her shoulder blades, relaxing her tense muscles. Another kiss, and the hands slid down to the small of her back. Zelda was stripped to the waist now, wearing only her black tights. She leaned forward and gently nipped one of Mipha’s head fins, earning a squeak and a blush from the Zora. In return, she trailed kisses down Zelda’s collarbone and over her breast.

There was a sound as Link shifted position. Zelda turned her head.

“Feeling left out? Or enjoying the show?” she teased.

“... both,” he muttered.

Zelda leaned down and pulled off her tights, kicking them aside, and standing there as bare as Mipha was.  Somehow, Mipha thought, it was more provocative when she did it. Golden hair cascaded down to the small of her back, and Mipha found herself admiring her slender waist and the curve of her hips and rear. Perhaps this was the advantage Hylians found in wearing clothes almost all the time. They were quite distracting without them.

Zelda gave Mipha that look again, the glance through lowered eyelids, “Well, my darling, if Link says he’s feeling left out, perhaps we should include him?” Together they advanced and steered him towards the bed. Zelda took care to remove his sword and other items and set them down, while Mipha began working on his belt and clothing fastenings, pulling his tunic over his head. Zelda gave him a light push back, and he obediently fell back on the bed while the two girls clambered on either side of him, leaning in to stroke his hair, and his chest, nibble on his ears, watch him squirm and pant under the attention. Zelda took Mipha’s hand and ran it over the bulge in his trousers, Mipha felt him move his hips and push back against her hand, surprisingly hot under her touch.

“Ladies,” he gasped, “Please…”

Zelda’s gleeful smile at hearing him beg was mirrored only by Mipha’s own satisfaction.

* * *

 

Some time later, basking in her own afterglow, Mipha watched the two of them, how Zelda’s hair spread across the pillow and sheets, glinting in the last traces of sunset through the window. Link moved above her, making the most captivating noise, a sound that caught in the back of his throat and came out almost like a growl. The queen’s own cries were beautiful, a fluttering bliss from her lips. They were both so lovely to her, the way they curled around each other.

As she watched, Zelda let out a cry and arched her back off the bed. Link followed her a moment later, burying his head in her shoulder with a wordless moan. Dazed with a sleepy bliss, Zelda’s blue-green eyes found Mipha. The cream tones of her skin mingled with the tangled sheets. It would be impossible to ever find the words to tell her how beautiful she was.

* * *

 

They had drifted off, but awoke again while it was still evening. Zelda sat up on the bed, her hair tangled and clinging to her skin, and began to talk about what she and Link had experienced on their journey. At the foot of the bed, Twilight stirred, but soon went back to sleep.

"Bad news," she said, "We still don’t really know what’s coming. Good news is that we have the goddesses’ blessing to use their power when it does come."

She paused, "We were attacked by a Yiga clan member on our return from the Spring of Courage. Impa says that they assassinated the leader, but it seems they might be starting to regroup. She… she suggested that the Yiga may have organized the attack on your father."

A strange combination of emotions pierced through Mipha, joy at the idea there was no Rito involvement in the attack, and bitter hatred for this new enemy. She knew that Zelda had been harassed by the Yiga before, trying to eliminate her before she could unlock her sealing power, but she herself had only fought with them once. The woman had vanished just as Mipha’s trident should have reached her, leaving the Zora stumbling and confused.

"Then… the Yiga took Revali’s bow from him?"

"It’s a possibility. One that makes me quite concerned for his safety. We saw no sign of him to the south, or near Mount Lanayru.

"He’s to the north. Near Lake Akkala. My guards found him, but they were unable to bring him back. Goodness, he’s frightful without a weapon."

"He attacked them?"

"Only when they tried to use force, it seems. But yes, he gave them quite a mauling."

Zelda looked contrite, "I’m sorry. It was at my orders. I was foolish."

Mipha brushed her fingertips against the Hylian queen’s cheek, "It’s alright. I was able to heal them. They’re fine now. And Revali agreed to meet with me. He’s in a grove by Lake Akkala."

Link spoke up, "Then I guess we should return his bow. He’ll be wanting it."

Zelda looked at Mipha.

"There is also the matter of visiting the Spring of Power, which I believe is in the same general direction. Are you ready to commune with the goddess?"

Mipha looked down at the bedsheets, "I… may not have a choice. My power backfired again-"

Zelda’s eyes widened, but she did not interrupt.

"-this time when I was trying to heal someone. It… burned, ate away at the skin. I need to ask the goddess… how do I stop this?"

Zelda took Mipha in her arms and patted her back. "We’ll take you there. Link and I will be with you every step of the way."

"Thank you." She leaned into Zelda and breathed the scent of her hair.

* * *

 

After giving her companions the opportunity to cover themselves, she summoned her guards and sent them to bring food. They returned shortly with crab cakes and fish and seaweed soup. The broth was clear with a light flavor. The crab cakes were deep fried and a significant proportion of them had vanished into Link’s mouth before she got around to trying one. Not that it mattered, there was more than they needed.

They sat in the candlelight, chatting about the food and the room and little nothings, all of them done with serious topics for the day. Zelda reached out for a piece of Link’s hair that had been sticking up oddly since their earlier tryst and brushed it down. Mipha ran her hands through Twilight’s fur, as he tore into a raw fish. It was a novel sensation, she had never had a dog before. Or a wolf. Mostly, they sat in a comfortable quietness.

Eventually Zelda rose to her feet, looking down at Link as if inviting his input.

"Tomorrow, we head to Akkala. We take the horses north on the road to the Spring of Power, then come back around the east side of the lake, check up on Revali. How does that sound?"

Link gave a nod. Mipha also murmured her assent.

"Alright. I’m going to take a bath then." Her soft footsteps faded down the stairs.

Wearing little more than an undershirt, Link flopped onto the bed. Mipha took a moment to straighten the sheets before joining him. He took her hand in his as they lay facing each other, and gave it a squeeze.

"I’m glad to be back here with you."

"I’m glad you came back… It's been… an eventful few days."

"I know the feeling," he smiled, pausing in a way that let her know she was welcome to spill her thoughts to him. But she preferred to lie there with him in the silence of the night, and so they spoke no further.

Eventually, Zelda returned, the scent of perfumed bath water on her skin, and insistently burrowed between them. One by one, they drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this chapter is some downtime for our heroes, let them enjoy each other's company for a bit.
> 
> Once again my reaction to having to edit a sex scene I wrote months ago was [internal screaming]. If I'm not in the mood to write it, any and all descriptions of sex just seem hopelessly awkward and I sort of have to trust what sounded good at the time.


	21. Interlude: Zora’s Fountain

Sidon had finished his training with Argent, and slipped away from his advisors. He knew that the guards probably were keeping tabs on him, but were reluctant to deny him at least the illusion of being alone in the wake of his father’s death. It helped, sometimes, when he needed to cry.

Today was different. Today he dived deep, where anyone shadowing would be silhouetted against the light above. At the base of a submerged cliff, he found the tiny entrance to a maze of passages he and Mipha had used when they were smaller. She wouldn’t fit now. Even he barely did. The rocks scraped his back painfully.

In the dark, he reached out with hands and feet, feeling the currents shift around him. He knew them, they whispered their secrets to him. The water passing through his gills was cold and stale, he quickly ventured upwards.

There was a tricky twist, a crawlspace that needed to be maneuvered through, an outcropping of rock that caught on his fin. For a moment, he began to fear that he had taken a wrong turn, but eventually the passage opened, the water freshened, and the light from above came in.

It was not sunlight that he saw, but the glow of luminous stone, and the algae that floated on the surface. If he continued upwards, he would emerge into the caves where his father’s funeral rites had been conducted. If he ventured further down…

He shivered. Yet he let himself sink. Strange, eyeless fishes swam around him, creatures with too many legs scrabbled on the rocky walls. The flash of a fish tail near his face startled him, and he threw himself backward against the wall. There was a ledge here, and when his eyes adjusted to the murk, the open eye sockets and upper jaw of a fractured skull.

He made a strangled noise. His heart was pounding in his chest, his gills pumping water. Though he had always thought it would be cool to come down here and see the bones, he was quickly reevaluating his decision.

Whoever the skull belonged to, that was all that remained of them now. A few loose teeth rested in the silt, and ponderously slow and translucent worms seemed to be working on removing the bones entirely.

At least with all the creeping, hungry mouths down here, it would be unlikely that he would see anything he recognised of his father. That had been his greatest fear.

He had come here to test something, not just his resolve, but knowledge that had been denied to him, spoken of only in whispers. He sank into deeper, colder, murkier waters. He wondered if it really existed, and if he would see it, that part of the Zora history so guarded and denied to all except a few.

He found more ledges and outcroppings on the way down, covered with silt and detritus and an alarming number of teeth. It seemed they were the only thing not to the worms’ liking.

The fish down here were larger, more swollen and bulbous, their teeth crueler. Centipedes as long as his arm roamed the walls, feelers searching. The water was as still as silence, numbing and disorienting. He kicked to make sure his feet were still there. They stirred the silt in the murky water. Something small and translucent, like a shrimp, brushed against his leg. He shook it off.

Beneath him, he felt the silent water stir, then rush, like a waterfall flowing upwards, a pounding force. Sheer instinct compelled him, he kicked like a madman, speeding upward. He chanced a backward glance and saw it, an impossibly vast shape that continued down into the darkest depths. It was moving, coming for him.

His legs began to burn and cramp with exhaustion, the cold water stabbing his gills like a knife with each breath. Another look down revealed teeth, thin and savage as rapiers, parting as the vast mouth opened and sucked water downwards. If he had any breath to spare, he would have screamed. He fixed his gaze on the circle of light above him, so far and so small. Salvation lay in that gap, too tight for the creature to pursue him through.

Terror shuddered through his limbs like electricity, keeping them in clumsy, frantic motion. The light was getting stronger. The surface was in view. The milky eyes below him, large as boulders, reflected the gleam.

With a final burst of effort, he leapt through the surface, a trail of bioluminescent drops behind him, landing inelegantly on the floor of the cave. He lay there, winded, shivering, eyes still wide with terror. The algae-infested water traced shining paths across his skin as it dripped into the dirt.

Behind him, the surface of the water broiled and rippled. A fin, as long as he was tall, broke the surface as the creature turned and headed back into the depths.

Some time later, he rose to his feet, legs aching with cold and overexertion. He stumbled out of the funerary cave to find Argent waiting for him.

“Good evening, your majesty. Paying respects to your father?”

Sidon looked at the ground, trying to find the energy to lie convincingly.

“Yeah… I just… wanted to talk. You know?”

“Of course,” Argent bowed. Then he ran a finger along the young prince’s jaw line, showing the drops of glowing water that rubbed off on his fingertips. “Just talk.”

Sidon’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Don’t tell my sister.”

Argent smiled, “Of course not.” He paused and added, “She’d feed my liver to the sea eagles.”

Sidon smiled weakly. He was so very tired.

“Come with me, your majesty. You must get some rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Zora have some 10,000+ year old secrets of their own...
> 
> There was a very brief hint to this creature's existence before (beginning of Ch.7)


	22. Chapter Fifteen

It was morning, and they were making their way across the shining bridges that led out of the domain, a surprisingly long walk on foot. Twilight had chosen Mipha to shadow that day, though he often returned to his master’s side to lick his gloves and fingers. Eventually, they reached the grove of trees in the Tabahl Woods, where Yuzu had camped with the horses for the night. The Sheikah girl gave her own horse to Mipha, then snapped her fingers and vanished in a flash of light. Mipha blinked away the afterimages and stars that danced in her vision.

It had been a long time since she had ridden on horseback, she had not since her training in the royal guard. It was generally faster and more comfortable for her to swim. Link gave her a leg up to mount the horse, and then set about adjusting the stirrups for her shorter legs. Luckily, the horse seemed to be trained to follow the other two, and all she needed to do was avoid falling off.

When they reached the road that would have led them back to Castle Town, they instead made a sharp turn, heading northeast. The road gradually took them higher, although a wall of stone cliffs still stood between them and Zora’s Domain, reaching toward the sky. They crossed the Akkala Span, Twilight placing his forepaws on the stone edge and growling at something. Blocking the sun from their eyes with one hand, they could make out the bluish form of a Hinox at the edge of the lake, asleep and oblivious to the water lapping against its sides. Link snapped his fingers, and the wolf obediently returned to his side. It really was remarkable how quickly they had bonded.

They took a moment to admire the towers of Akkala Citadel as they passed, but did not approach. Near the Citadel, there was more traffic on the roads as merchants and their carts passed back and forth. Only when they reached the South Akkala Stable did they stop to rest their horses and eat a lunch of salted fish and rice, with some apples Link had gathered. Mipha was never quite sure where he got them from.

“You were thinking of going after that Hinox, weren’t you?” said Zelda, as they sat around the cooking fire.

Link held his hands up in mock defense, “Yeah, but I didn’t.”

“Good. Because we don’t have time today.” She took a sip of some tea that the stable owner had brought to them.

Mipha sipped her own tea quietly. She’d never fought a Hinox, and didn’t plan to start today. Still, she had never known how close it was to her home. Perhaps she could organize a hunting party between her guards and the Akkala Citadel guards. The Zora were known for keeping to themselves, but earning some allies in the area wouldn’t go astray.

The sun had reached its peak in the sky, and Link suggested that they keep moving. They soon reached a forest, overshadowed by the mountains and ridges around it. Mipha took a moment to look up at Death Mountain, as she rarely came this close to it. The sheer size of the mountain was imposing, made all the more so by the fires that she knew lay within. She knew that fire was the element most closely associated with Din, and felt a dissonance with her own powers, wondering again why she was the chosen carrier for the Triforce of Power.

_ Am I simply the one left over? _ she thought, wondering if Din was equally unhappy with the match. The forest was cool and quiet, with only the occasional insect chirp. The wolf strayed from Link to plunge into the bushes and return with a bloody squirrel, which it promptly tilted its head back and devoured whole. She moved her gaze deliberately back to the path in front of her, and they emerged from the forest. They went downhill and left the road, tying their horses to trees near the edge of the steep drop, Link ordering Twilight to guard them. The three of them descended into the stone quarry on foot.

Their footsteps echoed, but all sound from above was muted by the stone walls. It was an eerie place. Mipha wondered if the other springs were located in similarly unsettling locations, as if to announce the thinning of the barrier between this world and the spirit realm.

The very air seemed to crack and ripple around them, all turned to face Death Mountain, stumbling as the ground shook. A thin plume of flame streaked upwards from the crater, then arced towards them. Not a fire. A dragon.

It snaked through the air as swift as the wind, barrelling towards them. Was the sound a furious howl or simply the air itself rushing, erupting into flames? The heat on her skin was scorching and it hadn’t even reached them, she sank to her knees in terror. Zelda was clutching her ears in obvious pain.

_ Dinraal, lord of flame. _

It swooped over them, and for a moment the stone quarry was an oven, baking them alive. She heard the shrieks of her companions joining hers, the hot air rushing down her throat and burning at her lungs. Just as she had reached a terrified certainty that she would die, it passed, snaking into the open cavern that held the Spring of Power.

Her hands rushed to her throat, healing the burns in her mouth and airway, finally allowing her a breath that wasn’t agony. She crawled to Link and Zelda, who were on the ground gasping, reaching out to clutch their hands, letting her power flow into them until they ceased writhing in pain. They slowly raised themselves from the ground, Zelda slumped forward on her hands and knees, breathing hard. Link gave a moan of pain as his scabbard shifted against his back. She touched him again, exploring with her power, finding a deep burn on his back where the metal had channeled the heat directly to him. The agony faded from his eyes as she mended the flesh.

She looked down and realized her own arm was beginning to blister and peel, passing her hand over the skin and restoring it to its original state. Sitting on the ground, a wave of tiredness passed over her.

"Is… everyone… okay?" she managed.

The other two were examining their own hands and bodies.

"I think so," said Zelda.

"Better now," grunted Link.

Her gaze strayed towards the entrance to the Spring of Power, where a faint orange glow indicated the dragon remained. Zelda’s eyes followed hers.

“Mipha… It almost killed us…”

“I know. But… it’s calling me…”

The landscape pulsed around her, an inexorable push toward the spring. She rose to unsteady feet. Link hefted himself off the ground and Zelda followed.

Link made as if he were going to go ahead of her, sword at the ready. She gestured to him, in the way the Hylian knights understood, to stand down.

"It wants me," she said. "If anyone else tries to enter, Dinraal may strike in earnest. There is no fighting it. Just it flying past was almost enough…”

She shook her head, fins swaying.

“Wait for me. I will go alone.”

“Mipha,” Zelda’s voice called, and she turned back, “If anything happens, if anything bad even feels like it might happen, come back. We’ll fight our way out of here if we have to. Together.”

Mipha nodded. It was easier to pretend that would be an option.

* * *

 

The open-roofed cavern that held the spring was full of steam, rising from the water that was near boiling where the dragon sat. The sticky heat in the chamber pulsed with the slow rise and fall of its breathing. The humidity was already making Mipha feel dizzy. Dinraal regarded her with a fierce eye, but did not move to attack. She summoned up the boldness to step closer. As she waded into the shallow end of the pool, the water was hot enough to trigger pain in the surface of her skin, but not enough to scald.

She held up her hand, hesitantly, half as a gesture to still the dragon, and half to show the mark of the Triforce. The dragon reared and surged, coiling its body around the statue of the goddess. It sank its fangs into the stone and drew back, leaving gouges across the goddess’ face. Flakes of stone fell into the spring, and with them a shard of glowing fang. Golden light erupted from the point where it sank, swallowing Mipha in a sphere of light.

* * *

 

She was underwater, she felt, yet everything was lit with a fire-red glow. The liquid she swam in was thick and hot, and she had the strange sensation that it was changing her, melting her. Fear should have risen, but none did. She swam with a flick of a long, undulating tail, sensing movement in the half-darkness. She followed.

There was a presence before her, smaller and fearful. Electricity flowed through its muscles. She did not need eyes to see. Every movement it made was clear to her. She approached, undetected. The hunger surged. She bared rows upon rows of razor teeth.

The first blood was like a consummation, an ecstasy she did not know she had been missing. Blood billowed into the water from the parted halves of the creature, intoxicating her senses. Her body writhed. She needed to find more.

She looked at the torn flesh before her, the exposed and trailing guts. The scent of blood reminded her of wounds she had seen before. When she had seen the wounds she had-

She hesitated. Attacked? Eaten? Somewhere inside her was the insistent knowledge that she had  _ not _ done those things, and it caused her confusion. The blood was so sweet and thick, the flesh promising to fill her. Why had she not done this before?

She saw a trickle of blood in her mind’s eye, her own hands reaching out for it. The idea triggered hunger, but the curiosity was stronger. She stilled herself, tried to remember. There had been a warmth, nothing like the sticky heat here, a comforting warmth, as she reached out her hands and-

Healed.

Healed Link.

Promised to heal him, no matter the injury.

It was as though she were surfacing from a deep dive, kicking for the surface, the sudden chill of the air on her face. She gasped, the water draining from around her, the thick, serpentine tail melting away, reaching up to find her own face and not that of a monster. She rose to her feet, stumbling a little as they reformed in their original shape.

Before her was a figure in gold, motionless and faceless. The light and shadow flickered on her like a fire, occasionally seeming to give her an expression when there was none.

She bowed stiffly.

“Din.”

“Mipha of the Zora.”

She tried not to think too hard about where the voice was coming from. This place had already unsettled her mind enough.

“You have been granted the shard of my power, that which lesser mortals have killed for. Does it please you?”

“No,” Mipha said.

The golden figure did not react.

“I had power, all the power I wanted. I fought for this realm. I saved my friends. I healed their wounds. I needed no more than that. Whatever you are trying to do here, whatever bloodlust you are trying to incite in me, I reject it. Your power has done nothing but poison what I had.”

“It was through my power that you were able to heal your friends at the castle. Creation and destruction are eternal twins, one cannot be born without the other. I created this world, parted the sky and the earth. My power is the foundation of this world, without which the Law of Nayru and the creatures of Farore could not exist. Do you reject it still?”

“I reject destruction. I will not kill in this way.”

“All things are fated to destruction. I am the flow of time, destroyer of all things. Should you stay your hand, ruin will come to that which you spared. Such is the way of creation.”

The surroundings became clearer, or perhaps they were forming out of nothing. An immense, underground temple, carved out of solid stone. It seemed an impenetrable fortress.

Then it was as though the place  _ breathed _ . Plants grew through cracks in the stone, and the structure began to crumble. The plants grew thick, and fire raced through the undergrowth. Rain extinguished the fire. Trees grew from the ashes and fell in the blink of an eye, rivers carved their way through bedrock, earthquakes and volcanoes caused cataclysm as they pushed up the land, creating ridges and mountains that would someday be climbed and called beautiful by those who did not remember the fire and the ruin.

She stood in the center of this, somehow untouched, somehow seeing it from all perspectives at once.

“Why me?” It spilled from her lips like a desperate prayer.

“If you do not understand, then no words will be able to teach you. You are a piece of something much greater, that you can barely grasp. Creation and destruction are yours to wield as you see fit. The only question is, what will you do with it?”

She thought of Link and Zelda, brought down by Dinraal’s flames.

“I will protect the ones I love. No matter what.”

The light cast across Din’s formless face seemed to give her a wild smile, that of a warrior standing above their kill.

“Then that is your part. Go.”

The space she was in seemed to crumple and fold out of existence.

* * *

 

Lying on her back in the still-hot spring, she saw a distant line of flame snaking across the sky. Dinraal had left, and she was not sorry to see it go.

Not yet ready to move, she reached out through the water with her power, exploring. She found submerged in the spring slabs of stone that had sloughed off the statue of the goddess under the force of Dinraal’s jaws. Eyes closed, she visualized the statue itself, it’s half-face and chipped wings. Like a child with building blocks or puzzle pieces, she began to slide the pieces together in her mind’s eye.

She was awoken from her daze by a grinding noise. When she looked up, the statue was reassembling itself, stone swelling and growing to fill in the gaps and bind the pieces together. She could do nothing but watch slack-jawed as the statue returned to what she imagined its pristine state must have looked like. The peaceful visage of the goddess smiled down upon her once more.

_ That’s not how my power works, _ she thought, and then realized how many times that thought had been proven wrong in recent days. It was becoming apparent that this was not the power she had grown up with, familiar and safe. It frightened her, but what was she to do? If this was what would be necessary to protect Link and Zelda, to protect all of Hyrule, then what choice did she have but to master it.

She sank back into the waters. It was all too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Din is not particularly friendly.
> 
> Din's dialogue was influenced by the famous passage from the Bhagavad Gita that begins, "I am time, destroyer of worlds..." In context, that line is spoken by a god (Krishna) assuring a reluctant warrior (Arjuna) that it is not wrong for him to fight in battle, as the deaths of the enemy, and indeed everyone, are inevitable. (Though I would suggest reading a better explanation of it than mine since I'm certainly no expert on Hindu scripture.)
> 
> The Hinox was originally one of the ones in-game, until I realized it's in the Akkala parade ground ruins, which are not actually ruins in this AU. So I moved him west a bit, though he's still rather close to civilization.


	23. Interlude: Blood Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up, this is definitely one of the more violent/potentially disturbing chapters in this fic.

Ruta stood on the circle of carved stone, as the wind toyed with the straight, silver hair that ended just above her shoulders. Her long white robe kept her warm as she gazed up at the full moon.

A hint of red peeked out from the end of her sleeves as she tucked her hands inside to warm them. When she had first seen the outfit, she had commented to her father that she could not tell if it was for a wedding or a burial. He smiled in that way he always did when she was smarter than he expected, and replied, “Why not both?”

Years later, she was beginning to understand. As the eldest of her sisters, she would have been the first to marry, but they were fated for something else. Something much bigger, her father had promised. The stone beast she stood on was lifeless and silent.

Naboris would be next, followed by Rudania and finally Medoh. Their names and fates had been decided even before they were born. Ruta glanced up at the full moon once again and wondered if it would really turn red one day, as her father said. She supposed it must, her father was a genius after all. Who else could create the army of automatons and stone beasts that would protect the kingdom?

_ Who else could raise their own children and give them up so easily for the good of the kingdom?  _

There was a quiet but fierce pride in her at being born for such a fate. There had been times when she had cried, mourned for the husband she would never meet and the children she would never have. But it was past time for grieving. She felt blissfully empty in the clear night, enjoying the moon with no fear of what the future may bring, for she already knew.

Naboris was always the most rebellious one, she had even argued with Father, voices raised across the table, years back. She hoped that her sister had come to her senses, found peace. That she would not do anything undignified like beg or try to flee. It would be upsetting. A sacred ritual should not be disturbed. Nor should Rudania and Medoh be given cause to fear. Naboris had already tried to frighten them once, but her little sisters were so good, so obedient and brave that she had not been able to dissuade them. Ruta was proud. She knew they would do well.

_ Not that I will be around to see any of it. _

The wind was picking up now, her long sleeves swaying. It was as if the night knew this was a special occasion. Ruta let out a laugh, a childish noise of simple delight.

_ Father will save everyone from the Calamity, and we will be the heroes. Our race will be exalted forever and ever as the saviors of Hyrule. _

Her train of thought was broken by the tap-tap of footsteps on the stone. Her father was there, in a red and black robe that reached to the ground, giving quiet orders. He was accompanied by three assistants in masks.

“Master Kohga-”

She paid no heed to the snippets of their conversation, and simply kneeled within the circle, feeling the rough and cool stone with her fingertips. She took a sash and tied it around her legs, so that her body would remain in a dignified position until the ritual was over. The men approached, one on either side taking her arms, and pushing her forward. For the first time that evening, she began to feel some resentment. Did they not trust her to remain in place? This was her life’s purpose!

There was the sound of a weapon being drawn, a movement behind her. The wielder held the sickle in front of her face so she could see the curved, razor sharp edge. Her eyes widened involuntarily and she tried to suppress a shiver of fear.

_ It won’t take long. It won’t hurt much. It won’t- _

The blade was both cold and burning as it sank into her throat, a line of pain from one side of her jaw to the other. She had promised herself that she would not scream, and nearly broke that promise. The sound instead came out as a gurgle and an extra spurt of blood. The taste of warm metal filled her mouth and dripped from her lips.

Dimly, she could see the blood running in rivulets, filling the grooves in the stone circle, the muddy red being replaced by a blue glow. She coughed and hacked, failing to suppress the panic that surged from every nerve screaming for air. She was faintly aware that she was struggling against her bonds and the men that held her, past caring about dignity and promises, fighting like a creature forced underwater, for one more moment of life, one more breath-

A calm came over her that was as sudden as the panic. Everything was dim and out of focus, getting darker by the second. She wanted to look at the moon once more, but a rough hand forced her head back down, keeping her blood dripping into the center of the circle. It was so easy to fall asleep.

She slumped, and the men released her, allowing her to topple into the pool of her own blood. There was a faint surprise, it was so warm against her cold hands. She forced her eyes open a final time, beholding the moon above her, and for just a moment the haze in her vision stained it blood red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess the shrines aren't the only things full of 10,000 year old dead Sheikah...


	24. Chapter Sixteen

Link emerged from the Spring of Power, carrying Mipha in his arms. She shifted but did not wake. Her body was small and lithe, though solid with muscle, the scales on her chest and belly a shimmering white. She did not seem hurt, and the dragon had left, so he supposed it was just an aftereffect of her meeting with the goddess. He had passed out himself when Farore had deposited him back in the material world, but only for a moment.

He and Zelda had begun to feel rather apprehensive when she had not emerged from the spring far after the amount of time they had been in there. After comparing notes with each other once again, it was decided that Link would enter. He had managed to persuade Zelda to stay behind, and run for help if he, too did not return soon.

In retrospect, he was glad for that, because it saved him from her witnessing his panic when he saw Mipha resting just under the surface of the water, before he remembered that she had  _ gills _ and could not drown. He had already been over his knees in water at that point, and so decided to go in the rest of the way and collect her. He would probably regret this when he was riding a horse through the chill evening air of Akkala in wet clothes.

As they crossed the threshold back into the stone quarry, Mipha let out a small groan and opened her amber eyes. When she realized who was holding her, she gave a weak smile and he smiled back.

“Hey,” he said gently, “You alright?”

“I think so,” she said. “It was… a strange experience.”

He lowered her feet to the ground, allowing her to stand.

She took a shaky step forward. “My power is not what it was. The Triforce of Power has fused with it rather strangely. It frightens me. I’ve already hurt people through not understanding it. I don’t want to use it. But perhaps I should. Perhaps if I understand it, I can do more than I could before.”

He pulled her close. “Take it easy. It’s probably a good idea, but don’t push yourself to do too much too fast.”

She nodded. “You’re right. It backfired when I pushed my limits. I need to experiment with it in small ways… relearn how to use it. It will be difficult to find time, now I am queen… but…”

Zelda had approached them. “I’m here to help. See, I’m something of an expert on powers that don’t work like they should. Personal experience,” she said with her usual dry humor. Her face became serious again.

“You tried to help me out at Mount Lanayru, and I thank you for that. Let’s keep exchanging ideas. I’m still figuring out my own abilities, but maybe together…”

Mipha took her hands, “Together. If we are to have any chance of figuring all of this out.” She turned and reached out to Link also. “That goes for you and your wolf-friend too.”

Her fingertips were soft and smooth against his.

“Speaking of friends, we have a certain birdbrain to visit…” he said.

* * *

 

The climb out of the quarry was rather tiring, and he was glad to see the horses waiting at the top. Twilight wagged his tail as his master approached. A breeze reached him, chill against his wet clothing. He hoped they would dry quickly, but it would be uncomfortable until then.

They headed east, the sun behind them now, rounding the top of Lake Akkala. All were tired, they moved slowly and mostly in silence. The wolf remained energetic and alert, perhaps to make up for his master’s slightly dulled senses.

_ Damn, that wind is cold. _

The road rose as they approached the Kaepora Pass, and they looked out over the glittering lake, squinting in the sunlight. There was a drop off, and a patch of land containing a small forest between them and the lake. A thin tendril of smoke rose above the canopy.

Mipha spoke up. "This looks like the place."

Once again they dismounted and left Twilight to guard the horses. Link made his way down the cliff-face, Zelda following above him, in case she slipped. Mipha chose an alternate route, finding a spot where she could safely dive into the lake, and then swimming ashore.

The shadows were getting long now, and the grove of trees was dark. As they approached, Link found the ribcage of what looked like a deer, with deep scratches on the bone. From butchering? Or were they claw marks? Uneasily, he made his way in the direction of the smoke.

_ Movement! _ He braced himself, but a deer simply rushed from the undergrowth, its antlers narrowly avoiding him in its blind charge. Further beyond, there was a quieter, more deliberately muffled sound. Then a flurry of activity, the sound of wingbeats and pig squeals. He saw the dark feathers peeking above the brush, wings spread to gain their owner balance, and approached, Mipha and Zelda a short distance behind him. Revali turned awkwardly, the claws of one foot hooked into the eye sockets of the dead boar he dragged under his foot, his beak dripping blood.

"You-"

He released the boar, allowing it to slump to the ground, revealing curved and bloody talons, turning his intense glare on Link. Link glared back, he was not going to let Revali intimidate him. The tense moment was cut by Mipha’s arrival.

“Revali!”

His gaze shifted to her.

“I’m so glad we found you. My guards told me the place-”

“Oh, and did they tell you to bring friends?” he interrupted. “Because I don’t recall-”

“We came here of our own choice, Revali,” Link said firmly.

“Did you now? Well then, welcome to my humble abode.” He made a sweeping gesture with his wing. “Would you like to sit down and reminisce perchance? Oh, it will be just like old times, grudgingly tolerating each other’s presence.”

“Believe it or not,” Link said, trying to keep his voice level, “We’re here to help you.”

“Help? No, I’m doing just fine on my own, thank you very much.” He picked the bloody, eyeless mess of boar up with one foot and waved it at them. Mipha made a sickened noise.

Link reached back and removed the Great Eagle Bow from where it was hooked over his scabbard.

“I thought that you might be wanting this back. But it’s okay. We can leave.”

Mipha opened her mouth as if she were about to protest, but Revali spoke first, hissing.

_ “Where did you get that?” _

“It was in the possession of a Lynel that attacked the Zora’s Domain. We’re all quite interested in knowing how it got there.”

“As am I.”

Mipha finally spoke again.

“Revali, my father is dead. Killed by the person who had the Lynel’s bow.”

Revali, for once in his life, had the sense to look chagrined.

“Sidon and I have taken over ruling the Domain, but it seems the word has got out that the perpetrators of the attack used Rito weapons. Already there have been skirmishes between Zora and Rito, a revival of old tensions over borders and fishing grounds. So if you can tell us something,  _ anything _ …”

Her voice was soft but commanding.

“...about the path your bow may have travelled, please do so.”

Revali sighed deeply.

“Alright. It was dusk, a bit over a week ago. I’d just crossed Hyrule Field and was heading up here to Akkala, when I spotted a torchlight near the crossroads. There was a lone traveller there, getting beaten on by Bokoblins. I didn’t want to be seen by anyone, but I wasn’t about to let some poor fool get clubbed to death in front of my eyes. Would have absolutely put a damper on my evening. So I reached for my bow and…”

He hesitated, raking the claws of one foot across the forest floor.

“I don’t know what happened. Everything stopped. I felt like my body was in chains, pulled in every direction at once. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t see. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Just… trapped, for who knows how long. It felt long. But when I came to, it was still twilight. And my bow was gone. As was the traveller, and any accomplices they might have had. I didn’t even see their face…” He made a hissing sound, feathers around his neck bristling.

Link lowered his gaze. He knew it had to hurt Revali, to admit that someone had gotten the better of him, that he had been kicked when he was down, and so he tried to be grateful for the story.

Zelda spoke up.

“Revali, we were attacked by a member of the Yiga Clan in the Faron Woods. Their usual mode of operation is to dress as travelling merchants, as nondescript as possible, then attack while their target’s guard is down. It seems they are rebanding after the death of their leader, becoming active again. If the person who attacked you was Yiga, then that would lend an awful lot of support to the theory.”

Revali thought for a moment.

“Yiga Clan, you say? Aren’t those the imbeciles who want Ganon to come and kill us all, for some reason?”

Zelda nodded, “The same. Their motive is unclear, but they are deadly serious about it nonetheless.”

"Hah. Well, in that case I have a score to settle with them. Except," he gave Mipha a sideways glance, "I am sure you have been informed of my current situation."

"We have," Zelda confirmed.

"Actually…" Mipha said hesitantly. "I would like to try something. It seems the boundaries of my power have been changed, thanks to the influence of the goddesses. I… can’t guarantee this will work… or even that it won’t leave you worse off, but I can try."

He turned his piercing gaze to Mipha. "You think you can heal me." His voice was quiet, trying to sound dispassionate, but the emotion crept through.

"I think it might be possible."

"Try," he commanded, and she moved to his side. He extended his wing and she lay her hands along the top edge, closing her eyes. Link saw the mended feathers drop to the ground unceremoniously. In their place, what looked like spines were emerging from the wing. Each new feather was encased in a papery sheath, which split as the feathers reached their full size, glossy and indigo blue. Mipha swayed a little and stepped back. Revali took a breath.

Then he was gone. A whirlwind whipped through the forest clearing, kicking up dust and dead leaves. Link shielded his eyes against the grit. When he looked up the Rito was soaring, swooping out over the lake, tucking his wings in and spiralling, before spreading them again, letting the barest tip of a feather trace the surface of the water and then regaining altitude with powerful wingbeats.

Link had to admit it was impressive to watch. He wondered what it was like to fly.

Revali landed before them once again, trying to pretend he was not as giddy as a boy with his first sword.

"Hah! And so, the Rito Champion returns to the skies. Those Yiga better watch out. I have a quiverful of arrows just for them!"

He turned to Mipha and spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness.

“Thank you. I am in your debt.”

Then to Link, “And I suppose yours too, though I am loathe to admit it. Thank you for returning my weapon to me." 

Link nodded.

"What will you do now?" Mipha asked.

"Return home, of course. There is a Champion’s welcome waiting for me, as I have been waiting for it. Until we meet again!"

He launched himself into the sky with another tempest of wind that shook the forest. Link gagged and spat up a dead leaf that had found its way into his mouth. When he turned to Mipha, her eyes were still following Revali.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revali is fixed, yay!
> 
> I apologize if anyone finds his behavior in this chapter a bit off-putting, but I am a bird/dinosaur nerd and think it would be interesting if the Rito are able to use their feet to grip things and to fight, even if using a bow is considered the "civilized" way to do things. Feathered dinosaurs, such as Deinonychus, are thought to have gripped prey with their feet while flapping their (flightless) wings to keep balance- Revali has adopted a similar method of survival hunting.


	25. Interlude: Silent Princess

Medoh was with Father when the Hylian king came to inspect the animals. She usually wasn’t allowed near the animals. It was so exciting to see them up close. She ran along, giggling, spreading her arms in imitation of the great stone bird above her, darting in and out of its shadow. It was so much bigger than the first bird Father had made, the one they had ridden together up into the open skies above their village, and watched the deer run through the meadows below. The other stone animals were almost finished too, the lizard and… She frowned. Father had told her the names of the other two, but they were animals that didn’t live in Hyrule. She wondered where they did live. It was hard for her to imagine that Hyrule was not the whole world.

Once, when she was  _ really _ small, she had thought that her village was the whole world. She had been amazed when her father had held her up to a map on the wall and shown her how small it was. He had patiently named each place as she pointed excitedly with sticky fingers- there was Hyrule Castle, that was the Gerudo Desert. Now she was older, she thought proudly, and she had seen Hyrule Castle for herself, and lots of other places besides!

She grew tired of running and plopped herself down in the grass. Her father was talking to the King. It looked very serious and grown up. She wanted to go to him, to tug on his robe and ask him to tell her about the animals. But he looked busy, and he didn’t like to be interrupted when he was busy. Sometimes he was scary when he was interrupted.

So she sat in the grass and watched it sway in the breeze. Occasionally she spotted a grasshopper skipping through the leaves. She made up her mind to catch one. She hitched up her skirt so that she could move more easily. A Sheikah must be silent as a winter night, as swift as a breeze. If she caught the grasshopper, she thought as it slipped through her fingers, she would show her father.

Again she lunged, far too late, and the insect was long gone before her hands closed around the blade of grass. She looked up to see that she had wandered close to Father and the King, and realized for the first time that there was a girl by his side too.

The girl standing next to the had golden hair, and stood quietly, hands linked in front of her body. She was perhaps a few years older than Medoh herself. She wore a pale pink dress, the kind that looked like it would be a real bother to climb a tree or cross a stream in. Even though she was pretty and all dressed up, if Medoh had to pick a word for her, it would have been “lonely”.

“...until my daughter.... use her sealing power…”

“...do not understand… my beasts… Ganon for good…will be no need for...”

Adult conversations sure were boring, Medoh thought. And the King seemed like the biggest, oldest bore of them all. Why wasn’t he excited by Father’s creations? Father had made them as a gift for the Hylian king, so he could protect the whole kingdom. The King should be thanking Father, rewarding him and the rest of the Sheikah for their service. She was old enough to know that much.

Shaking her head in irritation, she noticed that the grasshopper was gone. Now she was mad. She caught her father’s eye, and he gave her a look that told her he would be scary if she interrupted him, so she stalked back over to the stone bird, kicking a rock on the way.

She sat glumly in the shadows besides the stone bird’s feet, scrunching her toes in her sandals and straightening them. Her keen Sheikah senses told her that there was someone approaching. She turned and yelped at the sight of the King’s daughter directly beside her.

The girl in the pink dress held out her hand, a tiny bead of light forming in the center. She covered it with her other hand, and then pulled them apart as though she were stretching something. The look on her face was one of deep concentration. Between her hands, the light lengthened into a stem and a flower bud. One by one the petals opened, the light fading as the flower became solid. Became real. It was delicate and white with hints of blue on the petals.

Medoh stared up at the strange girl, who smiled and placed the flower in Medoh’s silver hair, then turned, and walked quietly back to the King’s side.


	26. Chapter Seventeen

The night was dark and Zelda and her companions dead tired when they arrived back at the Zora’s Domain. Mipha had begun nodding on her horse, and Link had taken the reins to guide it while she sat in a semi-conscious daze. Healing the three of them from Dinraal’s flames, meeting with the golden goddess, and then whatever she had done with Revali’s wing had well and truly drained her.

Zelda and Link had done comparatively little, and still the journey had been a tiring one for them. Even Twilight was trudging with a relative lack of enthusiasm. Zelda reached out and brushed her hand against Mipha's head fins, nudging her to let her know they were almost home.

Again, they parted with the horses in the woods, as there was no place to keep them in the Domain. They found Yuzu sitting in a clearing, waiting for their return, a hearty campfire burning. Zelda asked if she needed anything, but Yuzu explained, in between bites of a juicy-sounding apple, that she was already being adequately supplied, out of the royal family’s pockets, no less. And so they left her to it.

"We really must build a stable by the Domain," Zelda muttered, as they made their way across the lengthy bridges on tired legs.

"Sounds good," said Link, who was carrying a sleeping Mipha bridal style now. "Might have to negotiate with the Zora though, I heard you weren’t allowed to build on this land without their permission.”

She looked back at him over her shoulder, “That’s true. How do you know about that?”

He shrugged the best he could while carrying Mipha. “Guess I heard it somewhere as a kid. Strictly speaking, I wasn’t supposed to go near the palace, but she snuck me in there plenty of times anyway. I wasn’t really listening, but I did overhear the odd bit of Zora political trivia.”

“You might know more about it than me then,” Zelda sighed. “I was meant to learn these things, and to some extent, I did, but as I got older I was more and more occupied with prayer. There’s not much use knowing the politics of the kingdom if it’s been devoured by Ganon, I suppose that was the logic.”

They reached the main bridge, and the guards stationed there immediately ran to Mipha. Realizing too late what it might look like, Link said, “She’s just sleeping,” but the commotion had already woken her.

“Ah, Paias,” she said, as Link helped her into a standing position, “Don’t worry, I’m just a little tired.”

The guard bowed in apology, and began to escort them back to the villa. When they made it to the bedroom, they barely had the energy to remove the most uncomfortable of their travel supplies and clothing before collapsing into a tangle on the bed.

* * *

 

"So what now?" Mipha asked her the next morning, over a breakfast of fish broth and rice.

"I don’t know. The goddesses clearly think something is going to happen, and the Yiga Clan is becoming more active. I think that’s the clearest lead we have. The history of the Yiga and their relation to the Sheikah is shrouded in myth. I would like to consult with Impa, get the Sheikah version of that history as is known only to their leaders. And I want to see what she makes of current events." She sipped her broth, which was beginning to cool.

"Do you think she knows more than she is letting on?" Mipha asked, over the edge of her own bowl.

"I think she knows more than she has told us, yes. Information is the greatest treasure and the most powerful weapon to the Sheikah, they have a tendency to be reticent. But I trust that she is on our side. The Sheikah have served us loyally for tens of thousands of years. It is not feasible or practical for the monarch to know all the information collected by their spies, but they share what needs to be known."

"And if they decide it’s better for the royal family  _ not _ to know something?" Link asked, swallowing a mouthful of rice.

Zelda hesitated. "You’re right, of course. There is clearly information that was never shared, we have absolutely no information on how the Divine Beasts were created, for example. Rumor says that the Sheikah did not entirely trust the king at the time to use them only for defense, and so they denied him the means to make long-term war."

Link raised an eyebrow, "It’s hard to imagine a long-term war, once the Divine Beasts were involved."

"Well," Zelda countered, "I guess the other safeguard was gifting them to the tribes of Hyrule rather than the king himself. He could order the Guardians to attack, but he had no way to replenish them. And to use the Beasts, he would need the agreement of the tribal leaders. Still a risk, but lessened."

Link made a noise of acknowledgement-but-not-quite-agreement into his breakfast.

"This is mostly speculation," she said with a hint of defensiveness. "Who really knows what happened ten thousand years ago?"

"The Zora do," mused Mipha. "We have some records going back that far, some even further. It was perhaps a dozen kings ago. But our records are unlikely to contain anything that doesn’t directly relate to Zora history. We have always been a rather insular people."

"So, we’re visiting the Sheikah again," Link concluded.

"It does seem like our best option," said Zelda.

Mipha looked down at her empty bowl. "I need to speak with my advisors, see if there is anything that needs to be dealt with. I can’t leave it all to Sidon. But yes, if there are no urgent matters, then I will accompany you." She passed by Link as she made her way out, leaning in to give him a kiss.

Zelda watched her steel herself as she headed for the stairs, putting on the calm and restrained air that people expected from a ruler, the one she herself used. It hurt to watch. She felt that she should be doing more to protect Mipha, yet knew that in the same circumstance, she would wish to take care of her own kingdom herself. All she could do was provide support.

* * *

 

It was late in the morning and Link and Zelda had long since finished preparing their things when Mipha returned. She said that she had dealt with the most important matters, and that the rest could be delegated to her advisors, or dealt with when she returned. Apparently, Rito incursions into Zora fishing grounds were on the rise, and she was trying to restrain the court from taking punitive action.

“I’ll send a message to the Rito myself,” Zelda said, “We can’t afford this kind of trouble.”

“Thank you. Hopefully they are more inclined to listen to you than me.”

Mipha’s footsteps were soft on the stone bridge. They crossed back into the Tahbahl Woods once more, mounting their horses. Zelda’s legs were still aching from the previous day’s journey, but she uttered no complaint. The wolf trotted along beside them as it had since that day in the woods. It was somehow reassuring.

They tried to keep up the pace as they headed to Kakariko, as they had made a late start. Their horses’ hooves clunked against the thick wooden bridges that connected the islands of the Lanayru Wetlands. They reached Goponga Village once again, and were treated to drinks of cool water and a light lunch by the villagers.

The baker’s daughter, Ellie, spent some time being fascinated by Mipha’s scales and fins, as it seemed she rarely saw a Zora so close. Other children tugged at Twilight’s tail and fur. The wolf was patient at first, but when he let out a low growl Link moved quickly to separate them. By then, the sun was already far past its zenith, and they bid a hasty farewell to the villagers.

It was night by the time they arrived in Kakariko, but nevertheless, they were informed that Impa would accept an audience with them. A young stable boy took their horses, and Link ordered Twilight to follow them with a few words and a snap of the fingers. Zelda was still amazed by the wolf’s obedience and intelligence. 

They made their way into the great wooden building that the Sheikah chief resided in. Zelda kneeled on a mat stuffed with straw, while an assistant brought them cups of green tea.

"What is it that you wish to know, my queen?" Impa asked over the rim of her teacup.

"I want to know everything you know about the current state of the Yiga. Also their history with the Sheikah. I think I know most of the relevant details, but for the sake of my travelling companions, and anything I might have missed…"

"Very well," said Impa, placing her teacup on the floor before her. "Then, for the sake of your companions… The Yiga were founded by a Sheikah named Master Kohga, the first of that name and a technological genius. We do not know what technology was common in that day, for it is lost to time, but we do know that his creations were considered extraordinary even by his contemporaries. Under his orders, creatures were carved from the mountains themselves, and given a life of their own. His machines were not merely to assist humans, but to act independently of them. Each one was worth an entire battalion."

Her servants refilled her teacup, and she raised it, watching the steam rise.

"But Kohga was greedy. Power-hungry. He expected an exorbitant reward from the Hylian king of the age, but the king maintained that Ganon’s defeat hinged on his daughter’s power, that of the goddess Hylia. He considered the machines assistance at best. And perhaps he did not entirely trust Kohga. Whatever the nature of their disagreement, Kohga wound up exiled from the kingdom of Hyrule, forbidden to practice his craft. And so he and his followers retreated deep into the desert, vowing to destroy what they once protected, to prove that the princess’s power alone was not enough."

She took a sip of her tea. A servant’s arm brushed against Zelda’s as the guest’s cups were also refilled.

"In exile, they had neither the manpower or the tools to create a match for the Divine Beasts. But they had fanaticism, a belief that they had been done wrong, exacerbated by the harshness of the desert. Somewhere through the ages, an alliance was struck with Ganon himself, the very force that Kohga had worked to defeat. And so they sought to aid the demon king’s return, assassinating members of the royal family and stirring strife in the kingdom."

“We defeated Ganon,” Zelda said, “Why do they persist?”

“You are hardly the first to seal the Calamity. It is a setback for them, but one they have experienced before. More concerning is their current state. I told you before that we assassinated their leader, the 113th Master Kohga, shortly after Ganon’s sealing. We hoped that it would spur them to finally disband. In the worst case, we expected them to merely appoint another Master Kohga, and return to biding their time for the next thousand years or so until Ganon breaks his seals once more.”

“And that didn’t happen?” Link asked.

“Unfortunately, no. We heard that there was internal conflict over the succession. We heard that a faction led by a young woman calling herself Mochizuki was vying for power, a self-styled high priestess for Ganon. And then we heard no more. At this point, I expect all our informants are dead. What is certain is that the Yiga Clan has changed more in the space of a few months than they have in thousands of years.”

She swirled her tea in the cup, and took a sip.

“We know little about the current leader, but if the girl managed to seize power, it bodes ill. Past reports suggested she is a religious fanatic, with a bloodthirsty streak. She may have purged not only our spies, but the more passive among her own clan. There is a distinct possibility that she will not be content to simply exist, and leave the role of restoring Ganon to her distant descendants.”

“This high priestess…” Zelda mused. “Is it just for show, a delusional belief, or could she actually have some contact with Ganon as I do with Hylia?”

Impa let a servant girl adjust her hair. “As far as we know, no mortal has ever broken the seal on Ganon, but she may test it, either for show or because she honestly believes she has the power. If she somehow already has a connection to him, that would be the worst case scenario. But at the moment, we have no information that indicates such a thing is possible.”

“How will we know, if she tries to break it?” Mipha asked quietly.

Zelda responded, “The seal is made with my own power. I think… if she tries to break it, I will feel it. But there isn’t a physical location corresponding to where Ganon is sealed, to my knowledge. I am concerned that we will not know an attack is coming until it is already underway.”

“That could work in our favor,” Link said, “She may be cautious about tampering with the seal, to avoid tipping you off.”

“Possible,” Zelda said, “but that also means that any attack is likely to be sudden and very forceful. I could also be a target, if they decide killing me is likely to free Ganon.”

Link looked deeply concerned. Impa spoke.

“That is possible. Even in peacetime, we Sheikah have fended off the odd assassination attempt on various princesses and queens thought to be the incarnation of Hylia. They have not succeeded.”

“But still, it shows that they have thought of killing Hylia’s incarnation,” said Zelda. Her hands were balled in her lap

“Correct,” said Impa, “I trust that your knight will be on his guard.” She looked pointedly at Link.

“I trust him with my life,” said Zelda. “But is being on the defensive really all that we can do? The goddesses have given us the power of the Triforce. I don’t believe they intend for us to be sitting ducks.”

Impa beckoned to a servant girl who was carrying sweet dumplings. “Your way of thinking is not wrong. But I would advise against attempting to take the Yiga in a head-on fight. The desert is treacherous, and they have the advantage of knowing the land. Furthermore, they strike out of nowhere and vanish again. Should you march on their territory, your armies will hunger and thirst, they will be whittled down and their remains left to the vultures.”

Link made a frustrated noise, “Then, can we fight with their tactics?”

“Inadvisable,” Impa snapped. “Did I not tell you that our own spies were killed? Sheikah who had trained in the arts of subterfuge all their lives. Do you think you can match them?”

“No,” he sighed. He took a sweet dumpling from the tray being offered, and chewed on it with a discontented look. The Shiekah servant offered the tray to Zelda next, and she took one. The dumplings were made of rice paste with a sweetened sesame seed paste for filling, still warm on the inside. She mulled over her thoughts as she chewed. Next to her, Mipha accepted an offer of dried fish to snack on. They ate in silence for some time.

“Very well,” Impa said, “I have answered your questions as far as I can. The hour grows late. As always, you may stay at the inn, there are no other guests tonight.”

She rose to her feet, looking down on them kindly.

“Try not to worry too much. There is time yet to think. We will put all our efforts into finding out what we can and determining the best plan of action. The Sheikah serve you, your highness.”

“Thank you, Impa,” Zelda said, rising from the floor. She tried not to show it, but the renewed blood flow to her legs after kneeling for so long was agonizing. She saw Mipha next to her try to rise and stumble, and could swear Impa was hiding a grin. Together, they left the room, and were guided to the inn by a pair of Impa’s servants. The innkeeper had clearly been informed of their arrival, as he had set out some rice balls as a late dinner. Link didn’t even need to be invited to swipe a pair off the table, but Mipha took one and nursed it half-heartedly after a few bites. Zelda found herself with little appetite, she simply changed into her nightclothes and sat on a bed. Even the feeling of the soft mattress under her was not enough to lighten her mood.

There was no way for the three of them to all pile into a single bed, so after exchanging kisses and goodnights, each of them took a separate bed. Zelda stared up the wooden beams of the ceiling for an indeterminable amount of time before sleep finally took her.

* * *

 

She awoke to a mechanical screech, a rising series of pitches. Mipha was sitting up and looking around, wide eyed, Link was up and uttering a string of curses as he fitted his sword to his back. At that moment, a blast shook the inn, knocking a hole in the corner of the building. Crouching behind a solid wooden bed with Mipha, she watched in horror as a mechanical leg stomped past, reflecting an orange glow. Sheer panic stabbed through her.

_ A Guardian! But- how? Here? Why? What is-? _

She could feel Mipha shaking beside her, and reached out, holding her, clinging to her. It gave her just enough strength to calm herself, reach inside for the goddess power, send it out to purify.

Nothing happened.

The Guardian- or Guardians, as she could tell from the noises and the chaos there were more than one- were empty machines. No dark forces possessed them, except for the fact that they were attacking Kakariko, attacking the Sheikah that had made them.

The room was burning, slowly, but the floorboards had caught. The flames lazily licked their way up to the curtains, which began to blaze. Mipha made a noise of terror.

Zelda’s eyes searched the room, as she clutched her bow tightly. Stay here, and they would burn to death. Flee, and they would run right into the Guardians. In the end Link chose for her, grabbing both her and Mipha by the hand and dragging them from the building. They darted around the side of the building, as far from the flames as possible.

“Link,” she said, “They’re not possessed.”

He looked at her in confusion.

“Someone gave them instructions to attack Kakariko. Someone who knows how to use them!”

His expression darkened, but he was interrupted by the screech as a Guardian skittered around the corner, fixing its eye on them. As the sound of it seeking its target rose in pitch, he drew his sword and slashed off two of its gleaming legs, throwing it off-balance. The beam hit the ground just to Zelda’s right, she felt the wave of heat singe her skin and hair. Her ears were ringing from the blast. She began to draw a light arrow, but before she could line up the shot, Link had smashed the glowing eye in and buried his sword up to the hilt. The Guardian slumped to the ground.

Cautiously, using the metal hulk as cover, they peered out over the rest of the village. The light of the Guardians, and the glow of the fires cast an orange hue like sunrise over the entirety of the settlement. The Sheikah were out in force, fighting, some with curved blades, some with bow and arrow, some with whatever objects they had on hand. She saw an older man with a pot lid deflect one blast from a Guardian before the second caught him, and he was thrown back, his body limp and his clothing burning. Impa was wielding a naginata, blocking swipes from the scythe of a figure in red and black. As Zelda watched she swept his feet from under him and delivered a fatal stab, wheeling to drive off another opponent that had approached her from behind.

During those few frenzied moments that she had watched, Link had already left them, rushing into the fray. Perhaps half a dozen Guardians remained, he swiped the legs off one from behind, causing it to fire its weapon aimlessly into the night sky. A group of silver haired children ran out from the corner in which the Guardian had trapped them, while Link hammered at the machine with his sword until it fell to the ground.

She drew her bow again, but found the Yiga almost impossible to target. They vanished in smoke as soon as she had lined up a shot and reappeared elsewhere. She wheeled and fired at a Guardian, but as she had feared, their metal skin deflected most of the light. Unless she could hit the eye, she would find it difficult to deal serious damage.

Mipha had found a halberd, and was facing down an encroaching Guardian. At the moment it fired, she leapt, delivering a flurry of stabs to the eye. She spun, whirling her spear around to frighten off the Yiga, but fought defensively, disarming when she could. Zelda realized that killing humans was a line she was not prepared to cross.

Distracted, she was a little too slow to notice the puff of black smoke behind her. By the time she had glanced back, her hair had been tugged downward, and a sickle curved around her throat.

“I have the queen!” the Yiga woman shrieked in glee, “Drop your weapons, or I’ll-”

Anger and power surged within Zelda, she would not let herself be used against her companions. Light burst from within her, solidifying into shards like polished ice, a cold blue rather than a warm gold. The shards spun like crystals suspended on threads, assembling themself like a window pane before fusing into perfect walls around her. As it formed, the crystalline shell knocked away the Yiga scythe and threw its wielder off balance. A volley of arrows whipped past Zelda, one clinking against her shield of light, and there was a scream and a spatter of blood before the woman vanished in a puff of smoke. Zelda dropped to her knees, head swimming, trying to catch her breath. 

Before her eyes, the conflict unfolded. Link had taken down another Guardian, but the number of Sheikah fighting alongside him was dropping rapidly. A black wolf tore at the leg of a Yiga, wheeling around in confusion when the man vanished in a puff of smoke. Mipha was fending off opponents with her halberd while trying to heal a man with a severed arm. The entire village was burning. The cries of children mingled with the moans of the wounded. Zelda’s tried to steady herself, to calm her racing heart and slow her breath enough that the air would sate her. She looked down. Her bow was still clasped in her muddied hands.

Staggering to her feet, she loosed an arrow at the Guardians, hoping one would turn to her so she could take a shot at the eye. One took the bait, moving as fast as a galloping horse, she gasped as she released the shot. There was the crash of breaking glass, but it was not the eye of the Guardian. Instead her blue shell trembled and fell as fragments under a searing laser blast. The heat was blistering on her ear and cheek, and she fumbled the second arrow, which bounced uselessly off the ridge under the Guardian’s eye. It was nearly on top of her. With the calm that only comes with absolute terror, she released a final arrow with a prayer, and it pierced through. She scrambled backwards to avoid the machine as its momentum carried it forward. Her nightdress was covered in dirt and sweat. 

Creeping forward, she sheltered behind the wrecked Guardian. It was hard to tell with the way they vanished and reappeared, but she had the sinking feeling there were now more Yiga than Sheikah on the battlefield. She caught a glimpse of Impa, half of her face red with blood, roaring orders to those of her assistants that were still standing.

She reached within herself again for that half-forgotten power. Before, she had acted on sheer instinct, now she struggled to draw on it consciously. It was like a word lingering uncomfortably on the tip of her tongue, unable to be spoken. She furrowed her brows in concentration and blue light began to shimmer around her like a thousand shards of glass, assembling themselves into a crystal.

_ Lady Nayru… I remember... _

Her mental exertions focused on completing the barrier, she was taken by surprise when a deep laugh sounded from somewhere uncomfortably close. With a strangled scream, she dived out of the way of the blade descending towards her, and the shield cracked along with her focus, shards raining on the ground. A tall and broad shouldered man in black and red wrenched his sword from the earth and turned to her. As silent as an executioner, he raised his blade.

The spear that pierced his skull seemed to come from nowhere. As Zelda blinked in confusion, a Zora wrenched it from the Yiga’s destroyed head, scales shimmering silver in the moonlight.

“Argent?” Her voice wavered with disbelief.

“Queen Zelda,” He offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. On the ridge above the town, she could see a troupe of Zora guards, spears raining down on the battlefield. In that moment, she knew they were saved. She spotted Mipha, defended by Ichthus and Gaius, Eilea fighting alongside Impa, Cobalt back to back with Link, preventing the Yiga from reaching the swordsman as he took down the sole remaining Guardian. And finally, in the center of town, matching a Yiga with a vicious sickle blow for blow despite her height advantage, wielding a trident with fearsome speed and ferocity-

_ Sidon? _

As the last Guardian collapsed with a crackle of electricity, the remaining Yiga vanished in black smoke, realizing their defeat. Flames continued to crackle from the wooden buildings.

One eye closed, as blood continued to run down her face, Impa barked.

“Everyone who can stand, water, now! Put out the fires! Zora Queen, anyone else who can treat the wounded, hurry!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote the battle scene about three times as I changed my ideas about what powers Zelda has (let me know if you spot any continuity errors or other weirdness). 
> 
> As it is, she's currently using Nayru's Love from Ocarina of Time, but changed so it works a bit more like Daruk's Protection (it can be broken with enough force and destroyed in one shot by Guardian lasers). It also still only lasts a certain amount of time, or to be precise, it's energy intensive and Zelda can't shield herself continuously for an entire battle. Fight scenes wouldn't be very interesting if she could make herself 100% invincible.
> 
> Koga is a Japanese surname, the surname of one of the two famous ninja clans. Because of this, I headcanon that "Kohga" is Master Kohga's surname and thus there have been a LOT of Master Kohgas (for some reason I thought it was canon that Kohga created the Divine Beasts, but apparently it was just the Sheikah in general). By the way, the other famous ninja clan is "Iga" (Yiga).
> 
> Mochizuki is another Japanese surname, though it's a personal name in this fic. It comes from Chiyome Mochizuki, a historical figure rumored to be a female ninja.


	27. Interlude: Mask of Truth

Thunder roared in the desert skies as the sandstorm approached, and distant lightning gleamed off the metal pillar, carved with ancient runes and jutting out of the earth. Beside it sat an ancient and decaying stone mound. Her guard bowed to her as she arrived at the entrance to the underground temple, his face hidden behind the mask that he wore. A single eye, always watching. A single teardrop, flowing upwards. Three inverted triangles. It represented her ancestors’ rejection of the Sheikah. The tears from the betrayal that had perpetrated on them by the royal family would be transformed into a dark power.

She herself had dressed for the occasion. Her hair, usually pulled back in a ponytail or bun, hung loose around her shoulders, reaching to her hips. In contrast to the guards’ red and black clothing, she wore a simple dress of undyed cloth. She addressed the guard.

“I must pray to our lord. Through my devotion, I will send him strength. It is my hope that I can aid the Calamity in this world, that he will share with me a method to free him from his shackles.” Her voice was just a little too charming.

He bowed again as she passed, descending the dark staircase. She felt her way with hands on the walls, hands tracing the lines of the inverted Triforces that were carved in the stone. She reached a circular chamber, lit faintly with the orange glow of ancient technology. Before a circular dais, she knelt, and began to recite prayers.

“Lord Ganon, king of demons, bringer of calamity. I am your faithful servant. Let your power flow through me, that I may be your agent in this world…”

She heard movement above, the guard she had greeted retiring for the night, vanishing in a puff of smoke, the arrival of his older counterpart. A troublesome man, loyal to the endless line of sons named Kohga, one who had questioned her path and sown dissent when he thought that it would not reach her ears. There was little doubt that he thought his appointment for tonight, one that placed him alone with her, was a sign of trust from a naive and deluded girl who had simply stumbled into power.

The metal pillar by the entrance gleamed. If the man had thought a little more, he might have realized how out of place it was with the crumbling stone. She didn’t intend to give him time to think about it. Lightning crashed down and shook the earth, the flash illuminating the stairway in brilliant white, even reaching to the depths of the underground chamber. The girl was silent for a moment, listening for a groan or any sign of life before turning back to the center of the room.

“Just you and me now, pig,” she grinned lopsidedly.

“Look at yourself, and how you have failed. Failed again against the weakest of the goddesses, and a stripling with a magic sword. Again.”

She felt a shift in the room, as in a distant place the beast roared in fury. Her outfit had been chosen carefully. With just a little Yiga magic to disguise her, she knew that he would see her flowing silver hair as gold, her red eyes flash green, her plain dress as the robes of the spirit maiden. She felt his fury at being tantalized in such a way.

“Mindless, slavering beast,” she taunted, “Is it really true that you were once a man? That you gave up your people, your name and even your body in your lust for power, only to be sealed again and again. Shackled, powerless,  _ impotent.” _

The room shuddered again at the insult.

She continued, “Look at me, just a girl of the Yiga Clan. Oh, I  _ am _ a descendant of the first Master Kohga, we probably  _ all _ are by this point, but I claim no special powers of my own. And here I am, alive and free to torment the demon king as I see fit. You are lower than the lowest creature that crawls on the earth, because they are  _ free.” _

She turned back to the dais, the same lopsided grin on her face. “And still, you’re going to help me. Either because you have no mind left that hasn’t been eaten away by rage, or because you  _ do, _ and you know that cooperating with me is your best chance of breaking free any time soon.”

Her expression was one of pure amusement, “Give me Malice. The Malice that I put into the bird-boy and the Zora. Cruelty begets cruelty, chaos begets chaos, we both know this. Perhaps, if enough conflict is stoked in the world, you will be free. I will give you that much hope.”

The room shivered, and something like a six-inch-long slug slopped into the middle of the dais with what sounded like a sigh of effort. As she watched, its back split open down to its midpoint, opening to reveal an orange eye. She looked at it disdainfully.

“Is that all? Well, at least it’s more than last time.” She added in a saccharine tone, “Don’t you worry, I’ll take good care of it.” She took a glass bottle tied at her waist, and coaxed the slug inside with the lid, cautious not to touch it.

“And now I have what I came for.” She gave a mocking bow to the dais. “Well, I’ll leave you to your suffering then. Your anger gives the both of us power. Remember that.”

She flipped her silver hair, and made her way back up the stairs into the moonlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's an interlude and not a full chapter this time. Though it is plot relevant, at least?
> 
> While I have the rest of the story planned out, and chunks of the rest of it written, I am struggling to put everything I have planned together coherently. The fun part of creating everything has been done and now it's the process of getting it all into words, and the writing gods have not been with me lately.
> 
> So, there will probably be a one month hiatus in the near future, during which I will hopefully get my shit together. I was originally intending to make this a three-part series, and start up the next volume as a new work after a few more chapters, but... I'm not sure if the "ending" to this is enough of an ending to justify breaking off and creating a new work. I may just continue posting it as a single work. (this also has the advantage that it will keep all its bookmarks/kudos/viewcount).
> 
> Then again, I feel like it's more balanced as a trilogy of 30k words, ~55k words and (50? 60? 80?)... whatever the last one ends up as. And I had a title for the last one too! (Queen of Shadow) The ~aesthetic~ part of me very much wants to split it up.


	28. Chapter Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update June 29th 2018:  
> Yeah, so my plan to post the sequel for this in June is not happening. I'm both disappointed and guilty over this, but unfortunately work and physical health and mental health have to come first and all of those have got in the way of writing over the past month.
> 
> Honestly, I have a lot of guilt and stress attached to this story now, so I think I'm going to try and write some one-shots for a while until writing feels fun again. I apologize for the wait. Thanks for understanding.
> 
> \---
> 
> This work will be going on a one month hiatus and returning under the title "Queen of Shadow".

Mipha was on her knees, holding out her hands as the man before her writhed and clutched his abdomen. Blood was pooling beneath him. As she reached inside him with her power, she saw in her mind’s eye the mess the scythe had made as it tore through his innards. It took careful concentration to make everything shift and grow back in its proper place.

She looked around, as the Zora and remaining Sheikah brought the most badly injured to her in the center of the village. Her head was already beginning to swim, those with minor cuts and bruises would have to fend for themselves. Even broken bones were not a high priority. She ran her hand over a clean slice in a young woman’s throat, a severe injury, but thankfully simple to repair.

She was aware of the buildings burning around her, the scramble for barrels and buckets to fill with lake water. Fire terrified her, and it took immense concentration to push it out of her mind, to resist the instinct to flee into the lake.

Her next patient was the old man with the missing arm. Now that the fighting had died down, she was finally able to stop the bleeding and heal over the stump. The man was pale and his breath rattled in his chest. Perhaps on any other day, she could have restored the entire arm, but it would have drained her, and there were still many lives to save.

"I’m sorry," she said regretfully, as she moved to the next patient.

She had just finished healing a punctured lung when the next one was brought to her. A small Zora, with a slash running from shoulder to abdomen. She reached in.

_ loss of consciousness- damage to skin and muscles- blood loss- didn’t penetrate the abdominal cavity- _

She sank into the healing power, let its instincts guide her. This was not an immediately life-threatening wound, but she healed it, because there was no way she could do otherwise and it kept her mind off who was lying in front of her.

When she was finished, she rose to her feet, letting out an unearthly shriek that surprised even her. The butt of her halberd found Argent’s chest, knocking him sprawling onto the ground, and before he could begin to move, the blade found his throat.

"How dare you bring  _ Sidon _ here!" she cried, "What were you thinking- what possible reason could you have-"

Argent wisely chose to keep his head and neck still, but his hand made its way to his chest, face scrunched in pain.

"King’s… orders…" he gasped, the air knocked out of him.

Mipha made an incoherent noise of fury.

"He’s a  _ child _ , Argent. You should have stopped him, advised him otherwise! Protected the royal family!  _ That is your job!" _

"My  _ job _ is to follow orders." He looked up at her with what she thought was rather too much defiance for someone with a blade at their throat. He groaned.

_ Bruised ribs. Not that I’m going to heal him. _

"What if we’d both died here? What would happen to the Zora then? I can’t believe you’d be so foolish as to-"

He held up a hand, chest still heaving.

"We didn’t know."

Mipha stared at him.

"An ocean-dweller came to us, warned us that suspicious characters were landing boats in the inlet north of Mount Lanayru. Gave us an idea of the number of people, confirmed they were heading to Kakariko… Had no idea they were Yiga… that they were transporting Guardians… Wasn’t expecting any worse than a bunch of pirates. Sidon was worried about you, wanted to do something… we brought our best guards… this wasn’t what I intended. I apologize for my misjudgement."

She continued to glare down at him, but withdrew the spear from his throat.

"This is not forgotten."

He staggered to his feet.

"You said… a Zola came to you?"

Argent nodded, "Strange looking things, they are. I don’t believe one has visited the Domain in centuries."

"Strange and untrustworthy. I continue to question your judgement."

He continued to hold his bruised chest. "Your Majesty, I am admittedly questioning it myself this evening."

She felt a hand on her arm.

"No," a small voice said, "It was my fault. I made them. But- but- we saved everyone right? We did good?"

She scooped Sidon up in her arms, ignoring his futile struggling. She was so glad to touch him, feel him alive. Then she put him down.

"Young man, you are in  _ so _ much trouble."

He looked up at her indignantly, "I just rescued you! There were Yiga everywhere and the Guardians were like bip-bip-bip-pew-pew-pew and everyone was all messed up and then I brought the guards here and we got’em and they all ran away! This is my first victory as king! I’m gonna have it carved on a rock!"

As much as she tried to compose herself, a smile slipped onto her face.

"Alright Sidon. Yes, you did good. You saved us. Thank you."

His face split open in a grin of jagged teeth.

"But if you ever,  _ ever _ do that again, I’ll have to smack some sense into you myself before I heal you. Understood?"

He nodded with exaggerated solemnity, and she hugged him again for a long time.

"Ew Mipha. You can stop crying on me now."

"I’ll cry on you as much as I want, tadpole," she sobbed.

* * *

 

The fires were out on the buildings that could be saved, and those that couldn’t had been isolated, left to crumble into embers. The colors of the sunrise shone through the smoky haze that lingered over the valley.

Mipha sat on a hillside with Zelda and Link. The three of them were leaning on each others’ shoulders, drained, but in no mood to go back to sleep. Mipha stretched out her hand and stared hazily at the glowing triangle on the back. When she stopped to think about it, she had healed more tonight than she ever had before, except for the incident at the castle, which had incapacitated her for days. Though she was loathe to draw on it intentionally, it seemed Din was slowly but surely adding her strength to Mipha’s existing power, like a tributary feeding into a lake.

Sidon was sleeping in what remained of the inn, with most of the other survivors. The Zora guard were there too, awaiting further orders, but she had barely spoken to them. She did have words for them, but they were mingled with lingering venom, and so she was holding her tongue until her temper had cooled.

“I guess now we know who our enemy is,” Zelda said quietly. Link took her hand, and she rested the other on Mipha’s shoulder.

“There’s still so much that we don’t know. How did they make the Guardians pursue targets other than Ganon, without using magic? How many do they have? Dare we use our own Guardians against them, when we know so much less? Why Kakariko, and why now?” The queen’s voice was frustrated.

Mipha curled her arms around her knees, “And why my father? If they are a twisted offshoot of the Sheikah, then the fact that they attacked Kakariko is not so strange. But we Zora have done nothing to earn their ire…”

Zelda stroked her head, “I swear, we’ll find the answers. I promise you, as long as I live…”

Link flopped back into the grass with a sigh. He had refused Mipha’s offer of healing, having only a few superficial burns and scratches, and for the moment, she was too worn out to insist. There would be time when she had rested, to search his body for bruises and sooth his aching muscles. In her exhausted daze, she longed to return to the bed that they had shared and hide under the blankets.

The sun had risen now, though the light was still dim and orange through the smoke clouds. It was as if twilight had come to stay.

“We should return to Zora’s Domain,” Zelda said. “They will be wanting their Queen and King, and we should avoid straining the resources of Kakariko Village. I’ve sent to the castle for aid, but we have supply problems of our own... It will take several years for our grain stores to fully recover from the Calamity. Hopefully the harvests in Akkala and Tabantha will be good this year…” She trailed off, seemingly coming to the realization that her companions were not particularly enthused by a lecture on the economics of Hyrule.

“Anyway,” she recovered, “let’s make our way to the horses. They’re by the plum trees, they fled during the fire but the stablehands managed to bring them back. Will Sidon be coming with us?”

Mipha sighed, “Against my better judgement, I’ve left him in the care of the royal guard for now. They are under strict orders to swim home as soon as he is awake and able. They will probably arrive before us, the river is much straighter than the road.”

"Alright," said Zelda, her fatigue showing in her face and voice, "Let’s move out."

* * *

 

As they passed over the bridges, shining with the sun that was now overhead, they heard a shout from the water below. Sidon waved up at them.

"Caught up to you! See you when you get there!"

The guards gave a nod, and the group swam upstream.

They continued on, passing through the Tabahl Woods. Mipha’s horse reared in surprise as a green Lizalfos erupted from the undergrowth, causing her to tumble off backwards. She rolled as she landed and regained her feet, evading its jagged blade and landing a blow with the butt of her trident, sending it stumbling backward and giving her some space. She spun the trident and thrusted it forward, the tines piercing the monster’s abdomen, then pulled back. As the Lizalfos reacted by curling forward in pain, she thrust her trident again into its neck and jaw, using its own momentum against it. Its body slackened, and she tossed the corpse aside, limbs heavy again with fatigue.

When she turned back, Link was grasping the hilt of the Master Sword, a little bemused. He slid so naturally into the role of guardian and protector, that he seemed a little lost for what to do when his wives defended themselves. But there was no hint of resentment in his gaze, just a healthy pride and affection.

* * *

 

She had lost count of the times she had made the approach over land and bridges to Zora’s Domain in recent days, perhaps more than ever before in her life. The sound of the horse’s hooves on the shimmering stone had become familiar, and she thought wistfully of the journey they had made by carriage a mere week before. Now, they plodded onwards, voices muted, hair and clothing dishevelled, dark circles under their eyes. She felt that somehow, they were all much older than those happy newlyweds. Link raised a hand to shield his eyes as he looked at the zig-zagging bridges above and ahead, and gave his horse a nudge with his heels to keep it moving. The black stallion shook his mane and flicked his tail, but obeyed.

Her own horse continued on obediently, trained to follow the others. She shifted in her seat, and gave the occasional, gentle kick, but little input was required, and so she found herself lost in thought.

She found herself gazing at Zelda’s back. The queen always held herself tall, as if supported by an invisible but unbreakable thread. But Mipha knew well that it was a habit she continued regardless of the turmoil she felt inside, perhaps even an armor against it.

"It really is beautiful," the Hylian queen mused, her voice barely above a whisper, but enough to shake Mipha from her thoughts. She replied.

"I haven’t forgotten. When all this is over, we’ll stay here in our summer home."

"I’ll look forward to that," said Zelda, with the hint of a smile.

Their conversation faded as they passed the great blade of the dead Lynel, where someone had lodged it in the earth as a trophy or a warning or both. A scrap of red cloth tied to the hilt swayed in the breeze. But its appearance meant that they had almost arrived, and for that, she was grateful.

The city was dazzling in the daylight, blue stone reaching up towards wisps of clouds. They paused before it, and a silence passed between them. It was as if they were asking each other, did they dare to take reassurance in the peace found here? The sound of flowing water mingled with warbling bird calls.

"I…" Zelda began. "At the castle, we need to make preparations… secure our own Guardians… a thousand things. I’m sorry to leave at a time like this. Link, you can stay here and rest."

Mipha turned to her in surprise.

"You can’t be intending to return today, surely? I understand the urgency, but look at us. None of us slept, we’re all beaten up, and I can’t imagine you wish to spend another minute on horseback."

Link was keeping track of the sun in the sky, "It’s already far past noon. You’d never make it there before dark. And if you think I would rest while you travel alone, at night, while the Yiga are out…"

Zelda sighed and looked down at the reins in her hands. "Very well," she said, smiling a little as she met their eyes each in turn. "I must admit, I don’t wish to part from you. There is much to come, I am sure, but for now… Let us rest."

The passing clouds cast thin shadows, and the stone shimmered in the shifting light. Together, they crossed the final bridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAAAAAAATE
> 
> ugh, well, I think I managed to tie up the current arc, though obviously the plot is just going to thicken from here (send help).
> 
> The Zora were originally an enemy species in early Zelda games, and their name was translated as "Zola". This was later retconned so that evil Zora were "river Zora" and good Zora were "ocean Zora"... despite the fact that the friendly Zora seen in Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Breath of the Wild, etc, all live in rivers... It's confusing.
> 
> So, the "Zola" here is a combination of those ideas- they're an ocean dwelling type of Zora that are generally hostile and aggressive. When I first came up with the idea, I was imagining them with the appearance of OoT/Majora's Mask Zora, but then this concept art of a more spiny, fishy, Mipha popped up (https://fusaex3.tumblr.com/post/174112436189/is-there-really-a-beta-version-of-mipha-o-i-love). Since the original Zola were spiny fish monsters, I think I'm going to use this idea for the Zola's appearance.
> 
> Anyway, I'm going to go on hiatus for a month and hopefully come back with a good portion of Part 3 completed. It will be posted as a new work in the series under the title Queen of Shadow, so keep an eye out for it!


End file.
